


Missing Persons

by MsBrooklyn



Series: Assembly Line (or Why It's a Lot Harder than Steve Thought to Recruit New Members) [15]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Jessica Jones (TV), Spider-Man (Ultimateverse)
Genre: Gen, The Ol' Parker Luck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-15
Updated: 2017-07-07
Packaged: 2018-06-08 14:20:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 54,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6858472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsBrooklyn/pseuds/MsBrooklyn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's impossible for Jessica Jones to have a week that doesn't involve Bucky Barnes and HYDRA.  When Bucky's great grand niece Rikki goes missing, Jessica is on the case.  Naturally, anything involving Barnes is never that simple.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Missing Persons

 

Chapter 1

  
**Stalking the Prey**

 

It doesn't matter that it's late afternoon and broad daylight. The building's so-called security takes the Winter Soldier less than thirty seconds to infiltrate. In other circumstances, he might scale the stairs to the twenty-third floor where his quarry is, but today he simply gets in the elevator, blending in with the other passengers.

He doesn't even need to worry about the card reader access to the office space. A woman holds the door for him and lets him in. It's a serious breach of security training that works in his favor. Despite the number of people he passes and the one he actually speaks to, nobody questions his right to be here. These are the kind of security lapses that are going to get somebody killed.

A cheerful brunette in a skirt that's so short it should be illegal helpfully points the Soldier to his prey. Like everyone else in the office, the target is oblivious to his surroundings. His attention is focused on lines of code on his computer screen and a pair of earbuds drown out everything else.

The Soldier reaches for his target.

Spider sense kicks in and Petey falls out of his chair with a surprised squeak, upending it and becoming hopelessly tangled in the cords of his earbuds. "What are you doing here?!"

"You weren't there when I came to pick you up at school," Barnes tells him, not bothering to help as Petey tugs out the earbuds and rights his chair. "Mary Jane told me where you went."

Petey squints up at him. "And you came all the way to the Daily Bugle to check on me?"

"Considering how you constantly end up in trouble, do you blame me?" Barnes shoots back. "You didn't tell me you were thinking of working again."

"I-it was an emergency," Petey sputters.

Barnes eyes the lines of code on the screen and shakes his head. "Yeah, I can see it was life or death."

The kid blows out an exasperated sigh, pulls out his cell phone and brings up his voice mail. He hands the phone to Barnes. "It was."

Shooting the kid a dubious look, Barnes presses the play button and listens to an angrily shouted message from J. Jonah Jameson himself demanding that Petey get to the Bugle immediately. A female voice in the background reminds Jameson that Petey is in school. Fine, Jameson amends. After school. But hurry because the 'frakakta website is a mess' and what is he paying Petey for? Barnes lowers the phone, mouth twisting into a scowl. "He talks to you like that?"

"He talks to _everyone_  like that," Petey shrugs. "I'm used to it."

" _Nobody_  talks to you like that." Barnes turns on his heel, ready to deliver that news flash to the loudmouth personally.

Petey grabs his arm and tugs. "Don't!"

The amount of force takes Barnes by surprise. Petey actually succeeds in hauling him back and the grip around Barnes' cybernetic arm is strong enough that the plates register the pressure. Then again, Barnes knows firsthand how strong the kid is, how much he usually holds back. He relents. "There are other after school jobs, Petey."

"I like this one."

"That Jameson guy--"

"Isn't that bad."

"I had nicer handlers at HYDRA."

Petey winces and looks around nervously. "Shhh! We're in a cubicle --"

"Kiddo, I could jump on your desk and scream 'hail HYDRA' and nobody would notice in this madhouse." Barnes scowls as he looks around. "Security here is a joke and what you're doing looks boring as hell."

"It's not!" Petey protests. "And I get paid twelve dollars an hour! Other kids my age get minimum wage and they work jobs where they have to ask if you want fries with that. I'm the Bugle's website administrator. That's a _real_  job, Bucky. One that I can put on my college application."

College applications and a paycheck that Barnes thinks might be more than he earned working full time back in the day are both damned good arguments in favor of this after-school job. But they aren't the whole truth. He eyeballs Petey and waits and because it's Petey and his motor mouth, Barnes doesn't have to wait long.

"It's how I find out about situations where I can help," Petey admits quietly. "O-or research bad guys. You know, when I didn't have access to JARVIS. And the Bugle's morgue has a lot of stuff that isn't public information, too. Really helpful stuff."

That's still not the whole truth so Barnes folds his arms across his chest and raises an eyebrow.

Petey blows out a sigh. "I need the money." He bites his lower lip as he considers how much of his guts to spill and quickly concludes that there's no way he's going to win this battle. "There's something I want to make and the parts are expensive."

"Doesn't Stark --?"

"If I build it in Tony's lab, he's going to want to improve my design and then he's going to add it to one of his suits or whatever," Petey says hotly. "This is _my_  idea. My design. And I want to do it myself."

He sounds so much like Stevie that Barnes finds himself convinced that this is the whole truth. "And you can't scrounge the parts? Or get 'em second hand?"

"People don't throw tech like this away. Not unless I can dumpster dive outside the CIA."

That gives Barnes an idea. One that Stevie would hate. One that Petey might hate, at least at first. "Aunt May and Tommy are having dinner with Ma -- uh, Erik tonight so it's you and me. That's why I tracked you down. I thought we'd have our own night out --"

"Parker! Am I paying you to stand around talking?" The voice is an angry growl and it's coming from a man that Barnes has seen all over the television talking shit about Petey, the Avengers and people with powers in general. J. Jonah Jameson doesn't give Barnes a second look as he stalks towards Petey. "Why isn't the website fixed yet?"

"You've got, like, five different recursive loops here," Petey tries to explain. "And the host site doesn't have enough memory allocated in your plan to handle all the image and video files. You need to buy --"

"I need to spend more money on a website that doesn't work? Is that what you're telling me?"

"If you want it to work --"

"Maybe I should pay for it with the money I'm wasting paying you to stand around and talk to the damn messenger!" Jameson explodes, finally directing his glare at Barnes. "And we can add whatever I'm paying you to that."

Barnes glares back. "I don't work for you --"

"Then why are you in my office, bothering my employees?" James barks.

"I'm Petey's cousin --"

"I don't care if you're Captain America!" Jameson yells and, behind him, Petey buries his face in his hand. "I'm paying this kid to do a job which he's not doing because you're interrupting him. Get out before I throw you both out!"

Petey uncovers his face and shoots Barnes a pleading look, one that begs Barnes to leave and to not teach Jameson manners. It's a pretty tall order considering what a blowhard the guy is.

Still, Barnes relents. "What time are you done?"

"He can be done right now," Jameson threatens.

Petey holds up six fingers and the pleading look intensifies.

"I'll meet you in the lobby," Barnes says.

"Out!" Jameson barks, "Before I have Security throw you out!"

Barnes considers mentioning how pathetic Security is but decides to settle for hitting Jameson with the glare that made hardened HYDRA agents weak in the knees. Unfortunately, Jameson is apparently the only person besides Jessica Jones who is completely immune to that glare. Scowling hard, Barnes leaves while listening to Jameson shout at Petey.

He angrily punches the button for the elevator and wonders if Petey would give up the job for a weekly allowance.

No, the kid is as stubborn as Stevie.

Barnes hopes he can hold his temper until Petey gets fired again.

It shouldn't take that long.

 

 

00000000000000000000

 

 

**The Main Course**

 

  
"I'm so sorry we're late," Aunt May apologizes to Magneto. "The subway wasn't cooperating."

"Not to worry, my dear. I'm just glad you're both here," Magneto assures her. He's dressed in a navy blue suit and looks more like a fancy CEO or a politician than the most evil mutant on the planet, Tommy thinks. In fact, he looks completely respectable and the snooty girl at the front of the restaurant gives him a huge, flirty smile as she leads them to their table.

Tommy takes a seat and looks around. The place is so fancy that there aren't even prices on the menu and worse, he doesn't even recognize most of the names of the dishes. Luckily, Aunt May seems to have the same lack of experience with fine dining.

"It's a tasting menu," Magneto explains to Tommy, though Tommy is sure the explanation is for Aunt May's benefit too. "You get a small portion of each item on the menu and that way, you get to sample everything."

Rich people have weird eating habits, Tommy thinks. Maybe that's why they're all emaciated-looking.

The waiter comes over and hands Magneto a wine list. His eyes travel from Magneto to Tommy and back again.

"That handsome young man is my grandson," Magneto says and he actually looks proud. "Perhaps you can tell him what soft drinks are on offer."

Instead, Tommy is handed a list of beverages, ranging from cola to various flavored iced teas and fruit juices.

"The guava iced tea pairs nicely with tonight's menu," the waiter suggests.

"That sounds lovely," Aunt May says, coming to Tommy's rescue. "I'll have one."

"Uh, me too."

Magneto smiles. "I will as well." And then he rattles off an order in French before turning his attention back to Aunt May while the waiter scurries off. "You do drink wine, yes?"

"Occasionally," she admits. "Nothing too fancy, I'm afraid. Usually when Anna and I go to Atlantic City or have a girls' night out." Aunt May grins sheepishly. "Anna Watson. That's Mary Jane's mother. Peter's girlfriend."

Tommy knows what's coming now. He braces himself.

"And how is _your_  young lady?" Magneto asks him.

"She's good." Thus endeth _that_  line of questioning.

An awkward silence settles and remains unbroken when the waiter comes by with their iced tea and a basket of bread. He returns a moment later and uncorks the bottle of wine, presenting it to Magneto who declares it fit for consumption.

The silence settles again.

"Peter's working at the Bugle again," Tommy blurts.

Aunt May sighs. "Not again."

Magneto raises an eyebrow at her. "It's a bad thing?"

"That man Jameson is crazy," she explains. "He's hired and fired Peter three times now. I don't know what Peter likes so much about that job."

"He administers the web site," Tommy puts in. If they're talking about Peter, they're not going to talk about him. And he's got enough dirt on Peter to keep _that_  topic going all night.

"He also sells photos of himself as..." Aunt May looks around and drops her voice to a whisper. "Spider-Man."

"I had no idea," Magneto says.

"It's how Pete pays for his web fluid ingredients," Tommy tells him. "And his other weird mad scientist stuff. He disappears for hours in the basement. The first time he did it, I thought he was down there whacking off but it turns out the little nerd was working on some crazy science thing."

Aunt May shoots him a look and Tommy knows he's going to get scolded for the 'whacking off' comment later. Maybe also the 'nerd' comment. But the thing is, she's also sticking to the safe topic of Peter. "I'm constantly reminding him not to read science journals at the dinner table."

"That's not a bad thing," Magneto says.

"It's rude."

Silence descends again.

Magneto clears his throat. "So, Tommy, how are you enjoying school?"

Tommy makes a face and thinks fast. He _always_  thinks fast and turns to conversation back to the safe subject of his nerdy little brother. "Pete says the reason I have trouble concentrating is because my brain processes information much faster than they teach it. He's been testing that."

"Indeed? How has he done that?"

"He has me read stuff at my real speed and then we do comprehension tests," Tommy explains. "We've been experimenting with words, numbers and scientific concepts with different degrees of difficulty."

"I didn't know he was doing that," Aunt May says apologetically to Magneto.

Tommy decides to add fuel to the fire. "Pete also does stuff with Bucky's arm."

"Peter's curiosity should be encouraged," Magneto tells Aunt May. "He has many fairly complex questions about my abilities and my thoughts on his. I've been unable to answer more than I'd like to admit."

"Where did you study, Erik?" Aunt May asks.

Magneto looks down at his wine glass. "My formal education ended rather abruptly as a result of the Nuremberg Laws. I am mostly self-taught and, of course, I learned alongside Charles and Hank McCoy."

Aunt May reaches out and rests her hand on top of Erik's. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean --"

"It's quite all right, dear lady." Magneto flashes her a radiant smile and lays his free hand over hers.

Tommy nearly chokes on a breadstick. Is Magneto flirting with Aunt May? And why isn't she squicked out by that?

Suddenly a horrible thought occurs to him. Maybe this dinner isn't completely about Magneto getting to know him better. Maybe it's about getting to know _Aunt May_  better.

He knows what he has to do. What Bucky and Peter would want him to do.

Man, is he going to be grounded later.

 

 

000000000000

 

 

**Boys' Night Out**

 

 

"We're having our night out in Jackson Heights?" Peter asks incredulously when Bucky ushers him off the subway.

Bucky grips Peter's upper arm and steers him down the block. "We're starting here. I've got other stuff planned for later."

"Should I be nervous?"

"You're _always_ nervous, Petey," Bucky shrugs.

"I am not!"

Bucky grins at him but he still doesn't tell Peter where they're going. They walk in silence down 34th Avenue until they stop at a nondescript blocky four story brick building. Bucky directs Peter around the back of the building, forces open a window and gestures for Peter to go first.

"Um --"

"Shut up and go in."

Peter sighs and clambers inside the window. His eyes go wide as he takes in the tell-tale signs of gunfire -- bullet holes in the walls. Lots of them. There are rust-colored stains on the walls that Peter is sure aren't rust at all.

"It's a HYDRA R&D facility," Bucky says, draping his arm over Peter's shoulder. "I took it down ages ago --"

"And we're returning to the scene of the crime why?"

"You need tech that you can't find in a regular dumpster, right?" Bucky gestures. "Two levels down, there's a treasure trove waiting for you. While you were being yelled at by Jameson this afternoon, I came back here to make sure this wouldn't be a wasted trip."

"You want me to play with _HYDRA_  tech?" Peter asks, his voice rising.

Bucky raises his left arm. "You play with HYDRA tech all the time, Petey."

"But --"

"It's stuff you won't find anywhere else," Bucky cajoles. "And it's _free_."

"It's stealing."

"From HYDRA."

Peter can't think of any more arguments.

Bucky goes over to the wall, punches in a code on a hidden keypad and a panel slides open, revealing a set of stairs. "C'mon, punk. Wait'll you see all the goodies."

There are more bullet holes and rust-colored stains in the stairwell that Peter tries not to look at as they descend to the second level below ground. A heavy steel door with a control panel blocks their way but Bucky punches in a code and the door opens for him.

He gestures for Peter to go in first.

Swallowing, Peter steps inside and freezes. "Are you sure --?"

"They didn't keep me here or experiment on me here," Bucky tells him. "I don't even think I came here before until I took it out."

"Does Steve know --?"

"Maybe but I didn't tell him."

Peter's curiosity finally gets the better of him and he starts exploring, peering into cabinets and cases. Bucky is right. The place is a treasure trove. There's a microscope that he'd never be able to afford and it's just sitting there...

Except it's stealing. And Uncle Ben raised him better than that.

Bucky, on the other hand, wasn't raised by Uncle Ben. He unplugs the microscope and puts it into a wooden crate with the HYDRA logo. "What else do you want?"

"Bucky --"

"It's perfectly good stuff and it's going to waste sitting here. Or would you rather HYDRA took it back and did evil shit with it?" Bucky argues.

There's so. Much. Stuff. Things Peter needs. Things Peter _wants_. Tools. Processors. Transmitters. Receivers. Expensive wiring. "What do we tell Aunt May?"

"The truth."

"She won't like it."

"Petey, if you're using it to learn from, she'll like it." And, in a demonstration of just how good his skills of observation are, Bucky proceeds to grab the items that caught Peter's eye and loads them into the box. "I know where there are more places just like this one. With better stuff."

"Everything I need is here," Peter lies.

Bucky rolls his eyes. "Don't lie to me."

Damn. With a sigh, Peter gathers up the remaining items.

"I already looted the servers," Bucky says. "That's how I found out about you. Why do you think this place is so close to Forest Hills and the stuff is so new?"

"What?!"

"HYDRA was studying you here."

" _What_?!"

"This place used to be owned by Oscorp," Bucky adds idly. "Opened right after you had your accident."

They stare at each other.

And then Peter begins to load up the box in earnest.

 

 

  
00000000000000000000

 

 

**Repeat Customers Are Always Right**

 

 

The cases I handle these days have taken a turn for the weird. Sure, most are still run-of-the-mill cheat cases or missing kids, but more often than not, they have a twist. Like tonight's cheating spouse. The guy thought his wife was a mutant but the truth is, she's just fucking her boss.

Looks like we're all going to be disappointed when I show him the evidence.

I'm wedged between two buildings on Lafayette Street, taking money shot after money shot when my phone vibrates. I ignore it and let the call go to voicemail.

The phone vibrates again.

I ignore it again.

The third time is the charm for the persistent asshole who's about to get an earful about what voicemail is for. At least, that's what I intend to do.

Then I look at my caller ID.

"Hello, Mrs. Proctor," I say, taking the call from Bucky Barnes' sister.

"I need your help, Ms. Jones. Rikki is missing."

It was inevitable. It'd been almost a week without Barnes and HYDRA.

"Tell me everything," I say.

 

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 

  
**Entrees and Exits**

 

  
May waits until Tommy is out of earshot as he heads for the men's room and then she closes her eyes and sighs. "I'm sorry, Erik. I don't know what's gotten into him."

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," Erik counters politely.

"And I'm sure you do." She looks pointedly at the wine and food stains on the front of his shirt. "That glass didn't break on its own and you're not as clumsy as you pretended to be."

Erik's mouth curves into a smile. "It's only a shirt and the boy is being a teenager, with all that implies. You forget, I've some experience with youngsters testing my patience with their powers." He leans forward and lowers his voice. "I can only assume from your reaction that Peter hasn't misbehaved in such a manner."

"You assume wrongly," May says with a smile of her own. "I didn't find out until months later why he turned into a terror overnight. It seemed like one day he was our sweet little man and the next, he was getting into fights, playing basketball of all things and staying out until all hours, refusing to tell us where he'd been. And the mouth on that boy! I'd have sworn he was possessed. It got so bad that he argued with Ben and then ran off. Ben had to go out looking for him..." She trails off as she remembers that was the last night of Ben's life.

"Ach," Erik clucks as he mistakes the look on her face for concern about Peter. "I've experienced it with the youngsters at Charles' school. Eventually something happens that straightens them out. What was it in Peter's case?"

"Ben was murdered that night. In our home." She swallows and forces herself to go on. "Peter blames himself for it --"

"That's nonsense."

"Not according to Peter. He swears he had the chance to stop the burglar earlier that night and didn't. Whether that's true or not, it wasn't Peter's decision to pull the trigger but he still believes it's his fault." May blinks until her vision is clear again. "That's why he puts on the costume and why takes it so seriously."

There's a pause while Erik puts the rest of the pieces together to conclude that she's only recently been widowed. He studies May and then says softly, "My daughter was murdered many years ago in the Soviet Union. It was just three years after Magda and I had been liberated from Auschwitz and I'd settled into a quiet life, one where I concealed who I was and what I could do. It was a happy life. There hasn't been much happiness since."

May closes her eyes briefly and then reaches for Erik's hand. "You have two healthy adult children and young grandchildren now. It's up to you to decide if that's going to make you happy."

"I've done things--"

"And you did something different in Sokovia. Who do you want to be, Erik?"

"It's not that simple."

She looks at him. "And it's not as complicated as you're making it out to be. Six months ago, would you have imagined yourself having dinner with... With someone like me?"

"I --"

"And yet here you are." May smiles.

"And here _you_  are," Erik says. "You have every reason to hate me, to be afraid of me --"

"Six months ago, I might have been afraid of you," she admits. "But now I have two reasons not to be -- Peter and Tommy. Don't give up on Tommy. He's testing you."

"I know," Erik agrees and then he scowls, "Damn his parents for hurting him so badly!"

"Bucky says they might not have had a choice."

"Tommy suffered the same regardless."

May squeezes his hand. "We can't change the past, Erik. We can only try not to repeat our mistakes and hurt the people we care about."

"And you, May, care about everyone." He lays his other hand over hers.

Their eyes meet.

 

 

000000000000000

 

**The Hot Rock**

 

  
Peter is giddy with excitement that's so contagious that Barnes is also grinning from ear to ear as they carry their HYDRA haul down to the boy's basement lab. The kid's spent the entire trip from Jackson Heights to Forest Hills chattering non-stop about scientific stuff that Barnes only understood about a third of. If that much. What he does understand is that Petey is _happy_  and that's all Barnes needs. Petey is a serious kid -- serious about his science and about saving lives. He wears his heart on his sleeve. In other words, he's Stevie all over again, just healthier and Barnes thinks if he got half as much joy out of putting a smile on Stevie's face back then, his old life must have been pretty damn good.

Each of them has a large crate that Petey's filled with an assortment of items that runs the gamut from the obviously expensive microscope to a centrifuge to books about microbiology and robotics that Peter found in one of the offices. Once Barnes gave him a nudge in the right direction, Petey went through every nook and cranny of the HYDRA lab and helped himself to whatever caught his fancy.

After they each set down their respective crates, Petey lifts out the microscope and places it lovingly on his desk. Barnes has heard all about the microscope's features -- like the Zeiss lenses and digital imaging capability -- and its mind-bending price on the trip home.

Petey turns to Barnes with a look of pure adoration and then flings his arms around Barnes. The force of the hug takes Barnes by surprise and actually succeeds in driving the breath out of him. "Thank you, Bucky!"

Barnes silently vows then and there to find more HYDRA labs for Petey to ransack. Anything that makes the kid this happy is worth enduring the cold sweat and screeching in his head that come with willingly walking into one of those places. "You're welcome, punk."

Petey releases Barnes and peers almost shyly up at him. He licks his lips and finally works up the courage to say, "So, uh, I think I have everything I need. Wanna see what I'm going to build?"

"Absolutely." Barnes inwardly preens because _he_  gets to see whatever it is and Stark -- Petey's science godfather -- doesn't even know about it. Suck it, Stark.

"It's just a proof of concept," Petey says, turning on his computer and clicking on a file. "So, you know, it's not sleek or pretty or anything." He steps aside to let Barnes see the monitor.

Barnes studies the image on the screen. It takes him a couple of tries before he thinks he knows what he's looking at. "Is that a tracking device?"

Petey nods and ducks his head as he explains, "I know it's big compared to what you're used to using but what makes _this_  one special is that it's undetectable unless you happen to have Spidey sense. I call it the 'Spider Tracer'."

It's the kind of name a kid would come up with but it's the kind of tech Stark himself hasn't even imagined. "That's --"

"If the proof of concept works, I'll start making it smaller and figure out how to boost the signal," Petey adds quickly, as if he's afraid Barnes might criticize his design. "A-and I was... I was kind of hoping you might help me test it."

"I'd --"

"I mean," Petey keeps babbling and he's so nervous that Barnes' heart breaks a little at how self-conscious the boy is. "You're the perfect person. If you don't want to be found, you won't be. So if I can track you, then I should be able to track anyone."

"Petey, it's amazing," Barnes tells him honestly. "I'll help you any way I can. And if we have to loot every HYDRA lab in New York to get you what you need to build your Spider Tracers, we'll do it."

That earns him another rib-crushing hug before Petey pulls away and looks up at him again. "You get why I don't want to tell Tony about this, right?"

Barnes doesn't but he's about to find out. "Is he criticizing your work?"

"Not really. I mean, Tony wants to improve every piece of tech he sees," Petey says with a shrug. "I just want something that's _mine_. Tony keeps trying to improve my web fluid and my web shooters and he means well and all but _I_  made those. I want to be the one to figure out how to make them better."

"Of course you do," Barnes agrees and makes a note to have a little talk with Stark about backing off the kid. Or better still, _Steve_  can have that talk. And Steve most certainly will when he finds out Petey's feeling stifled during his weekly science sessions with Stark. "You're a smart kid, Petey. And improving your work is how you get smarter."

This is definitely the right thing to say because Peter beams at him. "I-I've been studying everything I can about how my spider sense works. Heck, I've probably driven Erik up the wall asking him questions. But it just kind of hit me the last time I saw Jess..." Peter stops and bites at his lower lip. "I mean, it was so _obvious_..."

"What was?"

"Radio frequencies," Petey says. He's got that excited glow again and the words come fast and enthusiastic. "All this time, I've been studying enhanced senses, empathic and telepathic abilities and it never once occurred to me to look at radio frequencies. That's how Doc Ock triggered my clones, remember? The only other person who could sense it was Matt. The frequency was too low for ordinary human hearing or for animals and it's also so low that anyone picking it up would think it's just useless noise, except it's not. Assuming it works. Which is why I need you to help me test it and --"

"And you can tell me all about it over dinner," Barnes cut him off gently. "You need to eat, Petey."

Peter looks longingly at the image on his screen and then shuts down his computer with a sigh. "Pizza?"

"How about Luigi's?" Barnes suggests, referring to the Italian restaurant a few blocks over. "They have a buffet." At least that way, he can make sure the kid eats a salad with his pizza and maybe has some other food too.

Before Peter can say a word, Barnes' cell phone rings.

Only three people have ever called Barnes -- Petey, Aunt May and Steve.

He digs the phone out of his pocket, his mind racing with visions of Aunt May being attacked by Magneto and Barnes shooting the bastard with one of the carbon fiber arrows he has hidden in the attic.

And then he sees who's calling.

Jessica Jones.

Now he's _really_  worried. Jones has _never_  called him. For anything. "Jones? What's wrong?"

"I need to see you. How fast can you get here?"

Barnes does a quick calculation, factoring in a quick visit to his cache of weapons in the attic and then how long the subway will take. "Thirty minutes."

"Ten," Petey says, his expression solemn and without a trace of self-consciousness about eavesdropping on Barnes' conversation. "I'll get you there in ten. I-if you don't mind web-slinging with me."

Web-slinging is second only in pure exhilaration to flying with Jones. Barnes can even put up with the sickening sensation of free-fall just before the web-line goes taut and momentum sends him hurtling gleefully forward. "Ten minutes, Jones. And I'm bringing Petey."

Petey is racing up the stairs for his Spidey suit before Barnes even finishes the sentence.

Barnes casts a last look at the HYDRA haul before heading up the stairs.

So much for watching Petey start work on his first Spider Tracer tonight.

 

  
0000000000000000000000000000

 

**The Ever-Expanding Barnes File**

 

I've put a dent into my newly-opened bottle of bourbon by the time Barnes and Petey arrive. Miraculously, they knock on my door instead of my window but I chalk that miracle up to the fact that the kid was smart enough to bring a change of clothes. He still looks like he's been in a wind tunnel and so does Barnes.

Barnes doesn't even let me finish opening the door. He shoves it open, elbows me aside and stalks in with a gun in his hand as he sweeps the place for invisible assailants. Finding none, the gun disappears back where it came from and concerned pale blue eyes latch onto me with an intensity that makes me want to duck for cover. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Barnes."

His eyes narrow at me and then tick to the open bottle of bourbon on my desk.

"I'm fine," I repeat.

"You called me," Barnes says. "You never call me, Jones."

I remind myself that calling him was my own bright idea to avoid having to go all the way to fucking Queens to talk to him. "Sit."

Of course he remains standing because he's a stubborn asshole. It's one of his few redeeming qualities. He folds his arms over his chest and continues to give me that narrow-eyed stare.

Since he's not sitting, I go to the edge of my desk and sit my ass down, reaching for the manila folder that contains all the notes and background I've pulled since my conversation with Becky Barnes earlier. "How much do you know about your sister's family?"

"What about them?" It's easy to tell when Barnes gets even more tense. The plates in his metal death arm start to click, whir and snap into place. Also, his stare becomes a glare. And _that's_  why I bought a new bottle of bourbon for this conversation.

"Richard is Rebecca's grandson who lives in Philadelphia," I say, flipping open the file and holding up a copy of Richard's driver's license. Richard Proctor has the same pale blue eyes as Barnes and Becky but he's got a goatee and a receding hairline that he's hidden by shaving his head. "Richard is married to the former Kimberly Kaufman." I hold up a copy of her driver's license photo. "They have two children, John, age sixteen and Rebecca who goes by the name Rikki, age fourteen." I hold up the Facebook pictures that JARVIS got for me.

Barnes unfolds his arms and comes closer, taking the copies of the pictures to study them with the same intensity he probably studied his targets with when he was the Fist of HYDRA. When he's finished, he looks up at me and waits for me to go on. Barnes never wastes a word when a look will do.

"John is what you might call a troubled kid," I say, pulling out the kid's rap sheet and reading his history aloud. "Shoplifting, vandalism and he did a four month stint in juvie for breaking and entering." I look up. "While in juvie, John Proctor fell in with a bad crowd of white supremacists and went from a kid who occasionally lit up a joint to a kid with a smack problem. He ran away from home about a month ago. Two nights ago, the cops came looking for information about the skinheads that John hooked up with. Apparently, they torched a storefront church in Lansdale, Pennsylvania and two people died."

Petey demonstrates what a smart kid he is by moving back and sitting down on my sofa, giving Barnes space.

"So we need to find John," Barnes concludes.

"We need to find Rikki," I correct him. "The Proctors already have a PI in Philly looking for John. I spoke to him earlier and he sounds like he knows what he's doing. The thing is, Rikki tossed John's room and she must have found something because _she_  took off last night." I slide off my desk and hold out the file to Barnes. "Except I don't think she's going to look for John. I think she's coming to New York to look for _you_."

The plates in Barnes' arm snap into place louder than I've ever heard them. "Where do we start, Jones?"

"She's a kid with not a lot of money," I tell him. "That means she either blew her savings on Amtrak or a bus or maybe hitched a ride and ---"

"And she'll be coming to Queens," Petey interrupts. He's on his feet now and looking at me for confirmation. "It's how you found Bucky. You looked for me."

"I looked for Daredevil," I correct him. "I fucking hate going to Queens."

Petey isn't letting go of his theory. "But she's a fourteen year old kid. She's not going to look for a scary guy in a devil suit. She's going to look for Spidey, who she's read about and who's just about her age. Right?"

"Right," I agree. "Which is why I'm putting _you_  to work, Petey. You're going to see if you can spot her hanging around your school while Barnes and I check out the not-so-nice places where kids go."

"Mary Jane and Kong can help," Petey suggests to Barnes.

Barnes is staring down at Rikki Proctor's picture. It's a photo from Halloween and she's wearing a copy of his Howling Commandos uniform. The caption under the photo reads, 'Rikki Barnes, Howling Commando and Cap's right hand girl.' Rikki is grinning broadly, her eyes exactly like Barnes' and with her auburn hair cut into a stylish graduated bob. There are more pictures of her in dance costumes, holding trophies. One final picture shows Rikki still wearing her Barnes Howling Commando jacket as she poses with her brother.

I want to promise Barnes that we'll find Rikki. Everything I've learned about the kid today tells me she's smart enough to avoid the usual traps runaways fall into. But I'm not going to make a promise I can't keep.

On the other hand, I've got the world's most invasive and resourceful AI on my side.

"Let's get started," I say. "Rikki's out there somewhere and we're going to find her."

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay... So some of you may have noticed the change in update schedule. Well, there's good news and bad news. The good news is that I have a new job which will hopefully drive me less crazy than the old one. The bad news is that I actually have to work and I've been too tired to string a sentence together this week. Wish me luck and hang in there while I figure out how to develop work-fanfic balance.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 

**Just Desserts**

 

Aunt May is laughing at something Magneto just said and it makes Tommy want to run all the way to...somewhere. Never mind that he just did three laps around Manhattan to burn off some of his anxious energy. Just as Tommy decides to go for a fourth lap, Magneto notices him so he has to go back to the damn table and sit down.

The chair wobbles wildly and Tommy grabs at the table to keep from falling over.

Magneto's eyes meet his and then he looks pointedly downward at the leg of Tommy's chair.

Tommy glances down in time to see the screw in the chair leg turning back into place. Swallowing hard, he looks back up at Magneto.

"Shall we declare an end to the pranks, young man or would you like to discover the mischief _I'm_  capable of?" Magneto asks quietly.

"Honestly," Aunt May sighs, shaking her head at both of them.

The word is loaded with enough disapproval to make Tommy's stomach sink and his head bow. "I-I'm sorry, Aunt May," Tommy ventures.

"I'm not the one you need to apologize to," Aunt May says sternly.

Magneto looks expectantly at Tommy.

Tommy stares back defiantly. Sure, he behaved badly but it's _Magneto_  for God's sake. The man's been behaving badly for decades and Tommy is positive _he's_  never apologized for any of the shit he's done.

Aunt May, however, doesn't seem to see it that way. "Go on."

"I'm sorry, _Magneto_ ," Tommy says as insincerely as he can manage.

"Apology accepted, _Speed_ ," Magneto replies, just as insincerely.

Aunt May sighs again. "Well, we've just proved for a fact the two of you must be related because I've never witnessed such a display of identical stubborn behavior." She fixes Tommy with another stern look. "At the rate you're both going, I'm considering inviting Erik to stay with us for a week so you two have to work it out."

Tommy's mouth drops open.

Even Magneto gapes at Aunt May.

"The house would be crowded," she goes on and it's obvious she's warming up to the idea, "but I think it would be good for everyone. We're a family now."

"B-but," Tommy stammers. He's not sure what to follow that with so he repeats it. "But..."

"I couldn't possibly impose myself in such a way," Magneto says because he's never at a loss for words. Ever.

"When was the last time you had a home cooked meal?" Aunt May asks him. "Or spent time in a house instead of a base or a hideout?"

Or a prison cell, Tommy adds silently.

Magneto looks like a deer in headlights. "I --"

"If you want to be part of Tommy's life, you should see how he lives it."

Under any other circumstances, Tommy thinks it would be funny to see the self-proclaimed Master of Magnetism argued into submission by a middle-aged mom from Queens.

"Well," Magneto practically stammers. "I --"

"Good. It's settled then. I'll have JARVIS arrange to have some of your things sent over. Peter and Tommy can double up and you can have Tommy's room tonight."

Tommy and Magneto exchange helpless looks.

Mutant superiority: zero. Aunt May: for the win.

 

 

000000000000000000

 

**Home Is Where the 'Huh' Is**

 

"You're over an hour past your curfew, Peter," Aunt May calls from the kitchen as Peter lets himself into the house.

Peter doesn't answer because he's still reeling from what he saw in the shelters and the squats he visited with Bucky and Jones in their search for Rikki. There were kids his age and some even younger who ran away from their homes or worse, were thrown out of their homes. The shelters were crowded and they didn't seem very safe or welcoming. And the squats... He's so lost in his thoughts that it takes him a moment to notice that Aunt May isn't alone.

Magneto is sitting at the kitchen table with her, drinking coffee. He's barefoot, dressed in a shirt and _jeans_ , for God's sake and he looks comfortable, like he's lived here all his life. The visual simply does. Not. Compute.

"What the -- huh?" Peter sputters. "What's _he_  doing here?"

"Peter! Your manners!" Aunt May scolds. "Erik is going to be staying with us for a few days."

"He what?! Why?!"

"Because I invited him. Now, come say hello."

Peter is still having trouble processing the idea of _Magneto_  and _houseguest_  in the same sentence, let alone in the context of _his_  house. He steps into the kitchen and tries to ignore the fact that Magneto is drinking from Uncle Ben's mug and sitting in his chair. "Uh...hi?"

"Hello Peter." Magneto smiles and for the life of him, Peter can't tell if it's a friendly smile or Magneto is trying not to laugh at him. "May and I were wondering what kind of mischief kept you out so late on a school night."

"I was with Bucky and Jones." He says it without thinking and it comes out defensive.

"Where _is_  Bucky?" Aunt May asks.

Peter thinks fast. He doesn't want to lie to Aunt May but he has the feeling that Bucky wouldn't want to tell Magneto about Rikki. "He stayed in the city to work on a case with Jones." No sooner are the words out of Peter's mouth than he realizes that sending him home by himself doesn't sound like something Bucky would do. He adds, "She called him so I guess it was important."

That goes over better. "Well, it _is_  a school night," Aunt May says. "And speaking of, is your homework finished?"

"Uh-huh."

"Are you working at the Bugle again tomorrow?"

"Haven't been fired yet."

Aunt May raises her eyes skyward and sighs. "That maniac you work for will get around to it soon enough."

Peter shrugs. "It'll look good on a college application, especially if I can get him or Mr. Robertson to write a letter of recommendation."

"And you need the money for your web fluid ingredients," Aunt May smiles.

"That stuff ain't cheap," Peter agrees. He winces, remembering where his evening started out. Bucky was supposed to be here for this conversation but he's not and Peter knows putting it off is a bad idea. "You know how I, uh, dumpster dive? Bucky found a new place for me to try."

"That was nice of him," Aunt May says, settling into her chair. "Where?"

"Uh..." Peter smiles weakly. "A HYDRA base he took out a few months ago..."

Aunt May's mouth drops open. "What?!"

Magneto throws his head back and laughs. "Marvelous!"

Aunt May doesn't look like she thinks it's marvelous.

"Bucky said you wouldn't mind. He said they'd only use the stuff we took to do bad things and hurt people. And it was better if I used it to learn from."

"Well," Aunt May relents, "that's true. You didn't take a nuclear reactor or anything dangerous, did you?"

"No!"

"All right then, clean yourself up and off to bed with you."

And that's when Peter realizes that Tommy has to sleep somewhere. "Where's Tommy?"

"In your room, hopefully finishing his homework," Aunt May says. "You'll be sharing with him."

He'll be sleeping in a web-hammock is what he'll be doing. "Okay. Good night, Aunt May. Good night, Mag -- uh, Erik."

"If Sergeant Barnes hasn't returned in the morning," Magneto says, "perhaps I'll walk you boys to school as he does." He smiles and Peter hopes he's kidding but deep down, Peter knows he's probably not.

The Ol' Parker Luck.

It's the gift that keeps giving.

 

 

000000000000

 

  
**Down on the Deuce**

 

We're two hours into pumping teenage hookers and their pimps for leads when I notice that Barnes has gone completely quiet. I know what he looks like when he's agitated and he is definitely agitated. Not that I blame him. These kids were all the same age as the ASAs and Rikki and we both know that their lives weren't remotely pleasant and probably won't end well. Most of them are supporting a drug habit and all of them seem older than Barnes' chronological age. Without saying a word, I start walking back to my apartment. Barnes actually moves two steps ahead, taking point and scanning for threats. He's so into it that he doesn't seem to realize what our destination is until we're in front of my building.

"I need to pee," I lie, digging out my keys.

Barnes makes sure the corners are clear, the elevator is safe and the hallway to my apartment isn't full of snipers or HYDRA agents. When I unlock my door, he goes through first and does his thing. "All clear."

"Thanks Barnes." I watch as he positions himself in his favorite spot, which I figure gives him the best vantage point but isn't too exposed.

I know how to calm Barnes down. I've seen Petey do it and I've done it myself a couple of times. The thing is, I fucking hate hugs. But it's Barnes and the asshole is my friend. I go up to him and slide my arms around him.

At first, it's like hugging a statue that's carrying God knows how many concealed weapons but then his arms come up around me. He exhales and rests his chin on my head as his body starts to lose some of that tension.

"Use your words, Barnes." I hate talking almost as much as I hate hugging. But it's Barnes. Damn it.

"I know I saw kids doing... Before..." His voice is low and rough. "I _know_  it happens --"

"You can't save them all, Barnes. You help the ones who want it, when you can and you help the people who help them regardless of whether the kids want the help or not."

"They were so _young_  --"

"They weren't Rikki." As if of its own volition, my hand starts to rub soothing circles on Barnes' back. "She didn't come here to get away from her parents or for any of the reasons most kids run. She came here to find you and as long as nobody snatches her off the street, she's on her way to Queens. What's our next step, Barnes?"

"Check to see if JARVIS has any hits on the facial recognition algorithms," Barnes recites because that's what JARVIS was doing when we left. "See if she took Amtrak or a bus and where she went when she got to the city."

"What else?"

"Stake out Petey's school."

"What else?"

Barnes pulls away from me so that he can look me in the eyes. "What else is there?"

"Sleep, Barnes," I tell him. "We can't do anything else tonight and we don't know if tomorrow is going to be a long day so we catch our sleep while we can."

"Just like being on a mission."

I decide I don't want to know if he's thinking about missions for the Army back in the good old days or missions for HYDRA back in the bad old days. "Whatever. There's no first watch or any of that bullshit. This apartment is secure. Deal with it."

He starts to open his mouth to point out all the security flaws.

"Deal with it," I repeat.

Barnes narrows his eyes at me.

I roll my eyes at him and then I throw out something else to get him out of all the crazy shit in his head. "Keep that shit up and you're sleeping on the couch."

Barnes blinks at me.

We've shared a bed before. Platonically, of course. The only physical contact was his metal hand on my hip and I'm pretty sure that he made sure he stayed a specific number of inches away from me at all times. That's why I don't mind doing it again.

I kick off my boots, unzip my jeans and toss them on the end of the bed as I go.

"Didn't you have to pee, Jones?" Barnes asks, following me in. He slips out of his combat boots but stays dressed.

"Nope." I watch Barnes as he watches me peel off my shirt, revealing the tank top underneath. There's a pair of sweats and a T-shirt in the closet, left by a one night stand whose name I don't remember along with the gym bag he forgot when he sneaked out after we screwed. I get up, pull them out and toss them to Barnes. And then I remember the arsenal he carries.

Apparently, disarming doesn't bother him. He shrugs out of his jacket, exposing a shoulder holster and a sheath strapped to his forearm. The sheath holds a scary-looking combat knife. Barnes sets both down on the nightstand.

This is the point where I decide I have to pee after all and by the time I come back, there are enough weapons piled on the nightstand to stage a successful coup. I have no doubt Barnes has hidden a few in the bed. He's propped up on the pillows, smirk fixed in place and watching me as I get under the covers.

"Remember what I said, Barnes," I say. "Sleep."

There's a moment where he seems to be considering making a smartass comment. Instead, he says quietly, "I have nightmares sometimes, Jones. Bad ones."

"Welcome to the fucking club," I shrug.

"Petey had to web me up a couple of times."

I reach under the bed and pull out the lead pipe I keep under there. "I'm all out of fucking webs. Will this do?"

"Don't know," Barnes admits. "But if I get violent, you might --"

"I'll deal with it." I recognize the defeated look on his face. God knows, I've seen it enough in the mirror, thinking about my own nightmares. Changing the subject is definitely a good idea. "And if you get fresh, I'll deal with that, too."

"Yeah?" He waggles his eyebrows at me.

I smack him with a pillow. "Go to sleep, damn it."

A gleaming metal finger flips me off.

I've created a goddamned monster.

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 

**Show But Don't Tell**

 

Up until now, Tommy thought the worst possible thing in his life was being related to and looking like Magneto. That was before this morning, when Magneto decided to _bond_  with Peter and Tommy by walking them to school. However, it wasn't before Tommy told Peter about what went down between Magneto and Aunt May over the tasting menu at the fancy restaurant. So of course, the walk to school has become the most awkward eight block journey ever. Worst of all, Tommy is forced to walk at a normal pace because Aunt May thinks that the three of them spending time together is a nice idea.

Tommy would never have figured that Peter goes dead quiet when he's ticked off. Not with Peter's big mouth.

And boy oh boy is Peter ticked off.

He's shooting looks in Magneto's direction that might even scare Bucky.

So, here Tommy is, walking to school with Peter glaring at Magneto while doing a slow burn beside him and grunting out one-word answers to anything Magneto asks him in his increasingly futile attempts to start a conversation.

The problem is that Magneto's been glared at by some of the best, like all o' the X-Men. At once. Which means that as fierce as Peter's glare is, it pales in comparison to an X-Men group glare led by the King of Glares himself, Wolverine. On top of that, Magneto seems completely oblivious. Or he just doesn't give a fuck about two pissed off teenagers.

Just when Tommy thinks this is as bad as the day could possibly get, he's reminded that he's a member of the Parker household and therefore susceptible to the Ol' Parker Luck. How bad is it? Bad enough that it looks like Magneto intends to walk them right up to the school gates where everyone can see them. Even though Magneto is dressed like a normal person, his face has been plastered everywhere for years so the double-takes and Starbucks spit-takes they get as they walk past all the other students are pretty much to be expected.

Mary Jane and Kong are mid-conversation when they see the odd procession being led by friggin' Magneto himself. Whatever they were saying is forgotten as they both stop and gawk. Because Mary Jane might be the most awesome person on the planet, second only to Aunt May, she recovers quickly and sticks out her hand for Magneto to shake.

"Hi, I'm Mary Jane Watson. Peter's girlfriend," she says, flashing Magneto a friendly, confident smile.

Kong, on the other hand, is staring with his mouth hanging open and it's obvious all his circuits are overloaded. Tommy gets it. After all, who could ever have imagined anything remotely as weird as Magneto walking Spidey and Speed to Midtown High?

Magneto returns Mary's smile. "I'm Erik, the boys' grandfather."

"You certainly are," Mary Jane agrees, winking at him. "And you're walking Tommy and Peter to school. Is this going to be a thing?"

"For a few days, I think," Magneto tells her and it's obvious he's gauging her reaction. "I'm visiting."

Mary Jane pointedly looks him up and down, brow furrowed in concentration. "You need a better disguise and I'm going to help you. The jeans and sweater are a good start but I'm thinking you need a pair of eyeglasses -- holy Jeez!"

They all watch as a thin line of metal unravels from his sweater to form a stylish pair of wire-framed glasses on his face. "Will these do?"

She reaches out and pokes the sleeve of his sweater with her forefinger. "It feels like cashmere."

"It is but I've worked metal strands into it," Magneto explains. "It's a technique I've perfected over the years that's gotten me out of more than one tight spot." Another thin line of metal snakes out of his sleeve and circles Mary Jane's wrist, forming a braided bracelet. 

"That's possibly the coolest thing I've ever seen," Kong says, finally recovering the power of speech. He extends his hand. "It's nice to meet you, sir. My name is Kenny McFarlane and I'm a friend of Peter's and Tommy's."

Magneto favors him with a smile. "A pleasure, young man."

"So, are you a good guy now?" Kong asks. He winces when he realizes what he just said. "I-I mean are you one of the Avengers?"

"It's...complicated," Magneto says, casting a look at Tommy. "I am an ally of the Avengers but mostly, I'm taking time to connect with my family. As you can imagine, that's a rather daunting task."

"Well, if you're staying with Peter, I think it just got a lot easier," Mary Jane grins. "Aunt May won't let you leave until you've connected."

Tommy watches as Peter's glare actually intensifies.

Magneto raises an eyebrow at him. "Peter? What ever is the matter?"

"What's the matter?" Peter echoes incredulously. "What's the matter!? You... Aunt May... You!!! I... No. Just no, okay?" He flings his hands skyward and turns on his heel to go through the gates into the school building.

Flash Thompson, who's been watching their conversation and is either trying to process whether the guy might actually be Magneto or is just trying to figure out his latest scheme to harass Peter, chooses that moment to open his mouth. "Hey, Parker --"

Peter growls at him. Literally. It's _exactly_  the sound Bucky makes when he's pissed off and the fact that it's coming from Peter makes it that much scarier. "Not now, fathead."

Flash's mouth drops open and he's so shocked that he lets Peter pass without saying another word.

Mary Jane plants her fists on her hips as she watches Peter disappear inside the school. "I have no idea what that was about," she tells Magneto, "but I'm going to find out and if he owes you an apology, which I'm sure he does, he's going to apologize."

For the life of him, Tommy can't figure out why Aunt May and Mary Jane seem to be taking friggin' Magneto's side.

It must be the Ol' Parker Luck.

There's no other explanation.

 

  
0000000000000

 

**Outside Looking In**

 

Rikki knows that bad guys show up all the time at Midtown High looking for Spider-Man, which is why she showed up here herself. But she never expected to see _Magneto_ and a kid that looks _exactly_  like a mini-Magneto calmly strolling up to the school gates and having a conversation with two other kids like he's a member of the PTA. Okay, she's never seen Magneto in person so maybe it's not Magneto. Maybe it's a guy that looks like him and maybe that's because she has Spidey on the brain. Still, it's a heck of a coincidence and she's going to totally mention it to Uncle Bucky when she finally meets him.

And she's going to meet him. Guaranteed. This plan absolutely, positively cannot fail.

She slings her backpack over her shoulder and follows the other kids inside the school as the bell for first period rings. One of them is Spidey and she's going to find out exactly which of them it is or her name isn't Rikki Barnes.

Well, it _should_  be Rikki Barnes. She's going to change it for sure when she's old enough.

Either way, she's closer to finding Spidey and Uncle Bucky than she was yesterday. Captain America himself couldn't have come up with a more airtight plan. Okay, maybe he'd have planned on what to do when he was actually _inside_  the school while everyone goes to class. Rikki thinks fast. Then she sees the redhead who was talking to the Magneto lookalike go past.

Following the redhead seems like a good idea so Rikki does it.

"Are you a new student?"

Rikki nearly jumps out of her skin and then looks up at the teacher who's looking down at her. "Um, yeah."

"Last seat, third row," the teacher says, not even bothering to ask her name. "Take a copy of the text from the cupboard on the side. It's 'Modern American History'."

No, Rikki thinks, Captain America himself couldn't have infiltrated a HYDRA base better than she's infiltrated this school.

She's totally a Barnes.

 

0000000000000000

 

**Coincidence or the Ol' Parker Luck?**

 

The girl sitting in the last seat of the third row is _definitely_  Rikki Barnes. Or Rikki Proctor. Or whatever her name is. Peter would be sure of it even if she wasn't wearing the replica Bucky Barnes Howling Commando jacket. Rikki looks like a replica Bucky and he half expected to hear a Brooklyn accent when she spoke. He's so amazed at the resemblance that he doesn't realize he's staring until Mary Jane pokes him sharply in the ribs and shoves a note into his lap.

Peter's been so busy being pissed off at the idea of Magneto flirting with Aunt May that he hasn't had time to fill Mary Jane in on the whole Rikki Barnes thing. Writing it out in a note is a bad idea because Mrs. Lim likes to confiscate notes and read them to the whole class. Besides, while explaining it to Mary Jane is important, telling Bucky that he's found Rikki takes precedence. It's also going to take spy skills worthy of Natasha because Mrs. Lim doesn't like giving out bathroom passes during first period.

He raises his hand.

"Yes, Peter?"

"May I have the pass, please?"

Mrs. Lim scowls at him. "You've been in class for exactly three minutes, Peter!"

"I know, but --"

"But you're going to hold it for the next thirty-seven minutes." She turns back to the blackboard and continues writing about the post-war boom.

Everyone except Mary Jane snickers and snorts with laughter at his predicament.

The Amazing Spider-Man. Defeated not by Doc Ock or the Green Goblin but by a history teacher with control issues. Peter knows for sure that things like this _never_  happen to Captain America. He also knows that Steve wouldn't let something like a stupid hall pass stop him from saving the day.

Peter stands up and heads for the door just as Mrs. Lim begins her lecture.

"Peter Parker, get back in your seat this instant!"

"Gonna be sick," Peter lies, doubling over and grabbing at his stomach. "Gotta go." With that, he flings the door open and runs while the class erupts in laughter behind him.

The next obstacle for Peter to overcome is finding a place where he can use his cell phone without getting in trouble. Luckily, the fourth floor gym is still out of commission from the time Bucky blew it up with a grenade. Thanks to the sorry state of school budgets in New York City, it's likely to be out of commission for decades.

Just as Peter heads for the stairs, he hears the unmistakable sound of Dean of Students Reynolds' voice behind him. "Mr. Parker. Why aren't you in class?"

Clutching his stomach again, Peter turns around and gives Dean Reynolds his best puppy dog eyes. "Feel sick."

Unfortunately, this is an excuse Dean Reynolds hears every day. "Where is your hall pass, Peter?"

"Uh..."

"And the boys' room is over there," Dean Reynolds goes on, pointing to the boys' room across from the stairs that Peter was about to use. "I think we'd better continue this discussion in my office."

Peter thinks fast and concludes that continuing the discussion in Dean Reynolds' office is exactly the solution he needs. All he has to do is give Reynolds a push in the right direction while he channels his inner Black Widow and gives the performance of his life. "Please don't call my cousin. Please? I'll do detention, just don't call my cousin James. You _know_  how he gets."

"Which is why I'm going to call him," Dean Reynolds says and Peter inwardly cheers at the success of his plan. "I think he needs to know about this, don't you?"

Hall pass: zero. Spider-Man: for the win!

Peter plans to savor this victory because he knows the Ol' Parker Luck is going to catch up with him before the day is over.

 

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 

  
**The Ol' Parker Luck Strikes Again**

 

Sitting on the bench in Dean Reynolds' office, waiting for Bucky to show up would be humiliating if it weren't part of Peter's ingenious plan. Okay, it's _still_  humiliating but it's only for a few more minutes, Peter tells himself. Bucky will come, Peter will explain everything and there's no way Peter will end up in detention.

Except it's not Bucky who walks through the door.

It's Magneto.

Peter can feel his victory crumbling rapidly under the crushing weight of the Ol' Parker Luck.

The situation only gets worse when Dean Reynolds pokes his head out of his office to greet Bucky. Whatever he was going to say ends up as a confused sputtering sound. Dean Reynolds goes as white as a sheet because fake glasses or not, it's pretty darn obvious that he's looking at Magneto. "Uh...um... Huh...?"

"I am Peter's grandfather," Magneto tells him in his most imperious 'humans-are-ants-and-you're-the-puniest-one-I've-ever-seen' voice.

"Where's Sergeant Bar -- uh, Reilly?" Dean Reynolds asks.

"Unavailable."

Reynolds swallows hard and looks over at Peter. "This is your grandfather?"

Peter nods miserably.

"You're sure?"

"Young man," Magneto scolds. "Surely the boy knows who his relatives are, don't you agree?"

Reynolds goes even paler but, bless him, he soldiers on. "It's just that..."

Magneto raises an eyebrow.

"You're not a designated contact," Reynolds finishes in what's clearly a burst of bureaucratic inspiration.

"And yet I am here," Magneto counters, "responding to your summons for a family member to come promptly to address Peter's egregious misbehavior. Would you prefer to make the boy miss all of his classes and have his aunt miss a day's work because of some petty administrative detail?"

"Well, I --"

"We can amend your paperwork later," Magneto informs Dean Reynolds, his tone letting the Dean know exactly what he thinks of the idea of paperwork. "Why don't you tell me exactly what transgression Peter committed that was so terrible you felt the need to contact me?"

"B-but I didn't," Dean Reynolds stutters, valiantly fighting for some semblance of control over the conversation. "I called Sergeant Reilly."

"You called the Parker home," Magneto corrects him. "I understood from your message that the matter was urgent, thus I took it upon myself to respond."

They stare at each other and then Dean Reynolds manages to summon the courage to say, "Well, I'm going to need your name for our files if you're going to be one of Peter's designated adult contacts."

Magneto looks down at Peter.

Peter shrugs. He's still furious with Magneto for flirting with Aunt May over dinner last night. Magneto can come up with his own alias.

"Erik..." Magneto says slowly.

Dean Reynolds' eyes go wide.

"Parker."

"Erik _Parker_?" Dean Reynolds echoes. "Really?"

"Do you think me so foolish as to not know my own name?"

"N-no!" Dean Reynolds shoots a look at Peter that says he blames Peter for all of this. Heaving a sigh, the Dean's shoulders sag in defeat. "Come into my office and let's discuss Peter's behavior."

Peter gets to his feet and Magneto's hand clamps down on his shoulder, steering him into the Dean's office.

"Please," Dean Reynolds says in a strangled voice, "have a seat."

Magneto pushes Peter towards a chair but he remains standing.

The tension in the room gets even worse.

"Well?" Magneto says. "What, pray tell, did the boy do?"

Dean Reynolds clears his throat. "Peter was out of his classroom without permission."

"And?" Magneto asks.

"He lied and said he wasn't feeling well when I stopped him in the hall," Reynolds finishes lamely.

Magneto doesn't look at all impressed by this explanation. "Indeed?"

"He wasn't heading for the boys' room," Reynolds says. "He was about to take the stairs."

"I see." Magneto looks down at Peter and then back up at Dean Reynolds. "Peter was skipping class."

"N-not exactly. He was in class but he left."

"He left," Magneto echoes. "And was Peter damaging school property when you found him?"

"No."

"Causing a disruption?"

"Well, no, but --"

"Tell me, Dean Reynolds, does Peter have a history of disciplinary problems that would make finding him in the hallway suspicious?"

Peter winces because he knows what's coming.

"Peter has been known to cut class," Dean Reynolds says slowly. Then he quickly adds, "Sergeant Reilly's put a stop to that, though. I'd really feel more comfortable discussing this with him --"

"I spent a few years as an educator," Magneto cuts him off. "Give me a moment with the boy, Dean Reynolds. Let me see if I can't find out what Peter was doing out of his class without permission."

Reynolds shoots a helpless look at Peter. "You're sure he's your grandfather, Peter?"

Peter has to say 'yes'. If he says anything else, his not-so-secret-identity will be blown for sure and worse, Dean Reynolds will have to call the police. What's already a disaster will become a debacle of epic proportions. "Yeah..."

"I'll be right outside," Reynolds promises. As if that's going to help.

Magneto waits for the door to close and then folds his arms over his chest, staring sternly down at Peter. "What do you have to say for yourself, young man?"

"The second floor bathroom is a pigsty?" Peter ventures.

"You're upset with me."

"Well..."

"You weren't last night."

"Last night I didn't know you were making cow eyes at Aunt May!" Peter explodes.

Magneto blinks. " _Vas_?"

"Tommy said --"

"Tommy's relationship with me is a difficult one. I thought you and I understood each other, Peter."

"I understand you were flirting with my aunt," Peter says hotly. "And I understand I'm not hearing you deny it."

Magneto's lips curl in distaste as he says, "I do not flirt with nor make 'cow eyes' at anyone. May and I merely had a pleasant conversation and enjoyed each other's company." He inhales sharply. "Your turn, boy. What were you really doing out of class without permission?"

Peter winces inwardly. He knows Bucky wouldn't want Magneto to know about Rikki but he also knows that Magneto is going to find out about her anyway since he's staying over. Still, he attempts to delay the inevitable. "I needed to talk to Bucky."

"About the 'cow eyes'?"

"No!"

"What then?"

"It's personal," Peter attempts.

"Will it still be personal when you're sitting in detention instead of at your desk in the Daily Bugle building?" Magneto counters.

It's blackmail but it's darned good blackmail. Then again, up until a few weeks ago, Magneto was the among the worst of the bad guys so Peter probably shouldn't be surprised. "It's personal for Bucky."

"I see," Magneto says, standing over Peter. "Well, we would appear to have reached an impasse then. Tell me, how many days of detention do you think you'll be given since I cannot excuse your behavior?"

"I can't tell you." Oh dear God, he's _whining_  at Magneto. It's not even ten in the morning and his day is hitting new all-time lows with each passing minute. Goodbye job at the Bugle, hello detention. And then he's going to have to explain to Bucky why Magneto came to his school.

Suddenly the door to Dean Reynolds' office flies open and Bucky storms in, followed by Jessica Jones and a terrified Dean Reynolds. Bucky's eyes narrow at Magneto.

Magneto stares back coldly.

Peter wishes the floor could swallow him whole.

The Ol' Parker Luck is in rare form today.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's nothing like a 3 day weekend with a rainy day to give me the motivation to sit on my butt and bang out chapters (and eat a lot of junk food). We might even see another chapter posted before the weekend is over but then it's back to work, so I can't guarantee I'll be able to keep up the pace.
> 
> In other news, I've noticed a LOT of new readers working their way through the series, leaving kudos and a few comments. WELCOME!!! (And thank you!). Having binge-read my way through the works of authors I've discovered, both fanfic and published, that's one of the greatest compliments ever.
> 
> Of course, I love each and every one of you who've been reading, laughing, lurking, kudo-ing and commenting. You make it all worthwhile.
> 
> Are you ready for the summer!? Woohoo!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

 

**Showdown at Midtown High**

  
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" Barnes growls at Magneto. He has four ceramic knives within easy reach and he's cataloging all the metal in the room, from the paper clips to the goddamn file cabinets. There's a very good chance this conversation is going to get ugly fast and he wants to be the one who puts the period at the end of _that_  sentence.

Magneto raises an eyebrow but doesn't seem at all impressed by an angry Winter Soldier. "I'm dealing with Dean Reynolds' urgent request for a meeting as you were unavailable."

"I'm here now," Barnes says. "You can go."

"The matter is well in hand, Sergeant _Reilly_ ," Magneto counters. "You needn't concern yourself."

"A-actually," Dean Reynolds puts in, "Sergeant Reilly is authorized to act on Peter's behalf, Mr. Parker. You're not." Nervous sweat is dripping down his face and his voice is two octaves higher than normal.

Barnes drapes his cybernetic arm around Reynolds' shoulders in a show of support. "Sorry, Gramps. Guess those're the breaks." He smirks triumphantly. "I'll take it from here."

"There's nothing to take," Magneto says. "The boy was misbehaving. All that remains is to decide his punishment."

Petey squawks indignantly. "I was not! I-I was... I was..."

"He was having a panic attack," Jones cuts in.

Everyone turns to look at her.

"I'm sorry," Dean Reynolds says, "but are you another Parker relative?"

Jones pulls a face. "God, no! I'm Bar -- uh, Reilly's friend."

"Don't be shy, my dear," Magneto purrs. He leans towards Reynolds, who cringes away. "They're engaged."

Barnes catches Jones' wrist before she can flip Magneto off.

Reynolds' eyes narrow and he stares hard at Jones. "You look familiar. Were you a student here?"

"A long time ago," Jones says. "But I transferred out in my sophomore year."

"Coma Girl!" Reynolds exclaims triumphantly. "I thought I recognized you!"

"Coma Girl?" Jones echoes.

"That's what the other students called you," Reynolds explains.

"All of them?"

"A lot," Reynolds shrugs. "Some of the faculty, too."

"Jesus Christ," Jones snaps. "My family _died_  in a fucking car accident. I ended up in a coma and you assholes thought it was okay to call me _Coma Girl_?"

Reynolds winces. "Well, it seems like things turned out all right for you. You're not in a coma anymore and you're engaged to Sergeant Bar --uh, Reilly. I'll bet you're even working steadily. Light industrial work, perhaps?"

"I'm a private investigator, you fucking moron!"

Petey moans loudly. "Can I _please_  have my detention and a tardy slip? I can't take anymore of this."

"Not until you take your fucking pill," Jones says. She digs into her jacket pocket, pulls out an amber pill bottle and shoves it into Peter's hand. Turning to Reynolds, Jones adds, "The kid's on anti-anxiety meds."

"I can certainly see why," Reynolds mutters, shooting dark looks at Magneto and Barnes.

"Sometimes," Jones goes on, "Petey's a stubborn little asshole and doesn't take his meds because his daddy's not there to make sure he does. When that happens, the kid has a panic attack in school. Isn't that right, Petey? You were a stubborn little asshole and didn't take your fucking pill."

"Uh...y-yeah," Petey agrees quickly. "I didn't take my fu -- uh, friggin' pill and I had a panic attack."

"Wait," Reynolds says, looking confused. "Peter has a father?"

"Sergeant Reilly is the boy's father," Magneto smirks.

"I thought he was Peter's cousin."

"I am," Barnes snaps, glaring at Magneto.

The bell rings, signaling the end of third period. Peter slumps in his seat and buries his face in his hand.

Barnes narrows his eyes at Reynolds. "Well?"

Reynolds pales. "What?"

"Are you giving Petey detention?"

"No!" Reynolds says quickly. "Go to class, Peter. Take your pill and stay out of trouble."

"But --" Petey starts to protest.

"You've learned your lesson," Reynolds cuts him off. "Go on."

Petey looks helplessly at Barnes, then grabs his backpack and leaves.

"Mr. Parker," Reynolds says to Magneto, "thank you for coming in. Have a nice day."

Magneto eyes the man, clearly unhappy with being given the brush-off, but he turns on his heel and leaves without saying another word.

Reynolds exhales loudly, goes over to his desk and pulls out a bottle of Smirnoff. He glances at Barnes, then at Jones, shrugs and pours the vodka into his coffee. Then he drinks it. He doesn't say a word for a good minute while the vodka takes effect.

Barnes waits.

"Look, Sergeant Reilly," Reynolds says, dropping into his chair and sagging into it. "I don't know for sure if you're James Buchanan Barnes. I don't know for sure if that was Magneto. And I don't know for sure that Peter is Spider-Man." His eyes meet Barnes'. "If I knew any of that, I'd have to tell the authorities when they come to ask me questions like they do every time there's an incident here at the school. And let's face it, Sergeant Reilly, there are a _lot_  of incidents at Midtown High, including the time the Winter Soldier blew up the fourth floor gym with a grenade during a shootout on the school roof. We are _never_  getting the budget to fix that, by the way." Reynolds sighs and rubs his eyes. "That's besides the point. My point..." He pours more vodka into his empty coffee cup and drinks it straight. "My point is that there has to be a limit to the madness. Look at me. I'm having chest pains and drinking vodka at ten in the morning --"

"How much to fix the gym?" Barnes asks.

"That's not --"

"Never mind. You'll have the funds." Another thing HYDRA can pay for, Barnes thinks.

"That's kind of you, Sergeant Barnes."

"Reilly," Barnes corrects him.

"Peter's cousin and father."

"Right."

"Of course you are." Reynolds waves him off. "Thanks for coming in. Nice seeing you again, Coma Girl."

Jones flips him off before Barnes can stop her.

"Remember, take care of your enemies _away_  from the school grounds," Reynolds slurs. "And shut the door on your way out."

The Ol' Parker Luck has claimed another victim.

 

  
0000000000000

 

 

**AKA Coma Girl**

 

"Not one fucking word,  _Reilly_ ," I say to Barnes as we walk out of the dean's office.

Barnes is the very picture of innocence. "And what is it you'd think I'd say, Co--?"

"That."

"Now would I call you Coma --?"

"Shut the fuck up, Barnes!" I brandish my fist under his nose.

"Remember what Dean Reynolds said, Jones. Not on school grounds," he smirks at me.

Since flipping him off on school grounds is still okay, I do that. "Do you want to talk about the case or do you want to keep on being an asshole?"

"Can't I do both?"

"Finally figured out why Petey was ditching class, Barnes?" I shoot back.

Barnes rolls his eyes at me. "I figured it out the minute I heard he got caught, Jones. My brain might be fuckin' Swiss cheese but I ain't stupid."

"Says the man who picked a fight with Magneto in Petey's school." I smirk at him. "Twenty bucks says he's waiting outside to finish it."

"Sucker bet," Barnes snorts. "'Course he's out there. Double or nothin' if you can tell me _why_  he was in Queens in the first place."

"There are some mysteries even I can't solve Barnes," I shrug.

Barnes shoves open the heavy door to the street and as he steps out, he's palming a knife that I'm guessing is ceramic.

As I predicted, Magneto is waiting for us.

I watch as the two biggest assholes in the schoolyard glare at each other, ready to start World War III over which of them is Petey's biggest protector. It would be funny if they wouldn't end up destroying half of fucking Queens in the process.

"Hey dumbasses," I say and both of them direct their glares at me. "Why don't we take your dick measuring contest somewhere private so it doesn't end up all over fucking YouTube and SnapChat?" I point in the direction of a bunch of kids hanging around up the block with their phones out, maybe recording us or maybe not.

"Very well," Magneto relents. "Shall we go home and discuss this?"

"Home?" Barnes echoes. " _Whose_  home?"

"The Parker home."

"You're not a Parker."

"Dean Reynolds believes I am."

Despite the fact that Barnes is wearing a long sleeved shirt and a jacket, I can hear the plates in his arm snap loudly into place. I think I might actually hear gears grinding but that could just be his teeth. "I don't care what he believes. You're not Petey's grandfather and you're not setting foot in that goddamn house."

"Actually, I've already spent the night and I'll be staying through the weekend," Magneto remarks idly. "It was May's idea. She thought I should spend more time with the boys and since you weren't around, I walked them to school this morning."

Barnes growls like an enraged tiger with rabies.

I grab him and fly him the fuck out of there before he can do anything stupid that would end with Magneto ripping his metal arm off. The second we're over Flushing Meadows Park, I dump Barnes down on the grass.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Barnes demands.

"You know why, asshole," I say, looking pointedly at his left arm.

He blows out a frustrated breath. "We have to go back. Petey found Rikki."

"And you know he's going to keep an eye on her and wait for his opportunity to contact you without getting busted by Dean Douche Canoe." I sigh wearily. "That kid looked like he really _was_  going to have a panic attack."

"Speaking of, what was that pill you gave him?"

"Aspirin. I keep a few in a bottle marked 'OxyContin' in case I need to bribe a junkie."

"What the hell was Aunt May thinking, inviting fuckin' Magneto to stay with us?" Barnes complains, starting to pace. "And why the hell does she think it's a good idea to let him spend time with the kids?"

"If he's playing grandpa to Petey and Tommy, he's not terrorizing the rest of the population," I suggest.

"He's terrorizing Petey."

"What about Tommy?"

"Tommy is cursing the day he became a Parker and inherited the Ol' Parker Luck."

I snort. "You think Magneto's going to want to be Rikki's grandpa, too?"

"He'd better not," Barnes hisses.

"It's inevitable, Barnes."

He flips me off but I'm sure he knows that's what he gets for calling me 'Coma Girl'.

 

 

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

 

Chapter 7

  
**Mary Jane Watson Saves the Day**

 

Mary Jane's patience is at its limit. Peter has been staring at the new girl non-stop since he got back from Dean Reynolds' office. That was three periods ago and now it's lunch period, which means he can keep up his stare-fest without worrying about a teaching calling on him to answer a question. Peter's lunch is sitting untouched in front of him while he stares at that girl like a total creeper.

Tommy isn't much better. He's also not eating his lunch and grunting answers at both Mary Jane and Kong.

"What is the deal with the two of you?" Mary Jane finally explodes, which succeeds in getting their undivided attention. "Bucky's not going to be happy when he finds out you didn't eat the food he made for you."

"He didn't make it," Tommy scowls. "Magneto did."

"And what? You think it's poisoned?"

Tommy shrugs.

Kong reaches over and takes one of Tommy's sandwiches. He bites into it. "Roast beef and cheddar cheese. Doesn't taste poisoned to me."

"Most poisons are very hard to taste at first," Peter murmurs, going back to staring at the little redhead who's sitting by herself and also not eating but that's because she doesn't have any food. "They have distinct after tastes, though. But by then, the poison is in your system and it's usually too late."

Kong spits out the bite of sandwich.

Mary Jane rolls her eyes and blows out a frustrated breath. "You think he's spending time with you and walking you to school so he can poison you with sandwiches?!"

"Why are you on _his_  side?" Tommy shoots back. "The guy is evil with a capital 'E'."

Mary Jane narrows her eyes at him. "He's trying to change. For _you_. Don't you think we should encourage that?"

"Because that can't possibly blow up in our faces." Tommy twists in his seat just as Kong helps himself to another sandwich. "Dude, get your hands off my lunch."

"You're not gonna eat it." Kong eyes Peter's pile. "And he's --"

"He's going to eat his lunch," Mary Jane declares. She smacks Peter's arm, finally getting his attention. "Would cut it out with the staring already?"

"Yeah," Kong chimes in. "What's your thing with that girl? I mean, she's cute and all but she's no Mary Jane."

Mary Jane beams. "Thank you, Kong."

"Just stating a fact."

Peter shoots a dirty look in Kong's direction before leaning forward. He gestures for everyone to come closer so that he can whisper, "That's Bucky's great grand niece, Rikki."

"What?!" It's Mary Jane's turn to stare. Now that she's really paying attention, she sees the striking resemblance. The girl looks like she could be Bucky's daughter.

"Shh!" Peter looks around frantically to make sure they haven't been overheard, then he hisses, "Whisper!"

"What's she doing here?"

"She ran away from home to look for Bucky, which means she's looking for Spider-Man so he can introduce her," Peter explains.

Mary Jane looks hard at Peter. "Does Bucky know she's here?"

"Yeah. His sister called Jessica Jones and we were out looking for her last night but we kind of figured she was going to come here. I was trying to call Bucky when Dean Reynolds caught me and I never got the chance." Peter sighs. "He's probably figured it out though and I bet he's close by."

It amazes Mary Jane sometimes how Peter can take down some of the scariest bad guys on the planet but is constantly defeated by high school. "Go talk to her."

"And say what?"

"You _know_  what to say."

"What if she can't be trusted?"

"She's your _cousin_." Mary Jane resists the urge to roll her eyes.

Kong snorts in disgust. "Dude, stop being selfish and think about Bucky. The guy's gotta worried sick."

"Yeah, man," Tommy adds. "It's not like nobody knows who you are. _Everybody_  knows."

"Says the guy who still has a secret identity," Peter grumbles.

"Magneto walked me to school this morning," Tommy counters. "You really think nobody noticed that?"

And now they're back on _that_  subject. Mary Jane decides to take matters into her own hands. She reaches over, grabs two sandwiches from Peter's stack, gets up and walks straight over to Bucky's great grandniece Rikki. Without waiting for an invitation, she sits down. "Hi, I'm Mary Jane Watson. Want some lunch?"

"You're giving me your lunch?" Rikki looks at her warily with eyes that are exactly like Bucky's

"I'm giving you my boyfriend's lunch," Mary Jane tells her. "That's him over there." She waves at Peter who is staring at them with a deer-in-headlights expression.

Rikki's expression instantly becomes guarded. "I saw who they walked to school with."

Mary Jane grins. This girl is definitely Bucky's flesh and blood. "And I know who you are, Rikki. Bucky's worried sick about you."

"What?!"

Leaning in close, Mary Jane drops her voice to a whisper. "Who else would Magneto be walking to school?"

Rikki's eyes go wide. " _Why_  would he be walking Spi --?"

"Shh," Mary Jane hisses. "That's _his_  grandson over there with Peter. They live with Bucky and you-know-who is just visiting. And by you-know-who I don't mean Voldemort."

The two sandwiches are sitting untouched in front of Rikki. "But _why_?"

"Long story," Mary Jane assures her. "Look, I can prove I know Bucky. Wanna see?"

"Okay."

Mary Jane pulls out her StarkPhone and scrolls to her photos from their Christmas visit with Rebecca Proctor. She finds the one she's looking for. It's a picture of Bucky, Peter and Becca in front of the massive Christmas tree. Without saying another word, she hands the StarkPhone to Rikki.

Rikki's mouth drops open and then she looks over at Peter again who immediately groans and buries his face in his hand.

"Don't mind him. He's having a secret identity crisis."

" _He's_  --"

"Shh."

"And you know Uncle Bucky?" Rikki turns her stare on Mary Jane. "What's he like?"

Mary Jane finishes her text message to Bucky and hits 'send'. "You know how you're expecting him to be this really great guy?"

"Yeah?"

"He's, like, a thousand times even more amazing than that." And there's Bucky's reply. With emoticons and directions.

"Oh my God," Rikki breathes, awestruck.

"Come on," Mary Jane says, standing up. "He's waiting to meet you." The bell rings, signaling the end of Mary's Jane's lunch period. If she leaves now, she'll officially be cutting seventh period. She's never cut before and she's cutting class to save the day, just like a certain big-time superhero that just happens to be her boyfriend.

It's impossible not to shoot a smug look in Peter's direction. He buries his face in his hand again and his shoulders heave in a sigh.

He'll get over it.

After all, Mary Jane Watson is the hero today.

 

  
00000000000000

 

**Family Reunion**

 

 

It's drizzling and they have the small park to themselves. Barnes specifically chose the park because it's four blocks from home and because he knows the perfect vantage point to use to wait and watch from. It's a ten block walk from Midtown High School which means the walk should take no longer than thirteen minutes for two un-enhanced girls.

He's been waiting fourteen minutes and eleven seconds and he's starting to worry.

Then he sees them.

Barnes has exactly nine seconds to get a good look at Rikki before he's got ninety one pounds of pre-teen girl launching herself into his arms.

"Uncle Bucky!" Rikki presses a kiss to his cheek. "It's really you!"

"Yeah," is all Bucky can manage. It comes out sort of strangled because he's still processing the fact that she looks like his sister. Like _him_. She could be his daughter instead of his great grandniece and while he tends to avoid thinking about the life HYDRA stole from him, Rikki is a bittersweet reminder.

Of course, Jones comes to his rescue. "Hi, I'm Jessica. I'm Barnes' friend and I'm also the private investigator your great grandmother hired to find you."

Rikki finally lets go of Barnes to shake Jones' hand. "You're the one she hired to find Uncle Bucky!"

"That's right." Jones turns to Mary Jane. "And you're Mary Jane."

"Peter already got into trouble today," Mary Jane shrugs. "I've never cut class before so I figured --"

That snaps Barnes out of his daze. "You're cutting class?!"

"It's just gym. I'll tell them I had cramps or something. It'll be fine," Mary Jane assures him.

"Always worked for me," Jones agrees. "My gym teacher never realized I was getting my period every two weeks to get out of fucking gymnastics. God, I hated that shit."

"Anyway," Mary Jane says, "while you're taking Rikki home, I can swing by my place. I should have some clothes that'll fit her."

Barnes winces. "We can't go there."

"Magneto's there," Jones adds, rolling her eyes.

Mary Jane throws up her hands in frustration. "What is it with you dopes? Erik is trying to turn over a new leaf and if Aunt May doesn't have a problem with him, why do you?"

"I like her," Jones stage whispers to Barnes.

"Besides," Mary Jane adds, "he wants to be a good guy so maybe he can help you with whatever is going on."

Barnes has to bite back the growl that threatens to erupt at the idea of Magneto getting involved in _his_  business. He looks down at Rikki and it occurs to him that she's tired, hungry and probably still a little scared from her ordeal. He _hates_  the thought of introducing her to Magneto but it's _his_  house, _his_ safe place and he'll be damned if Magneto drives him out of it.

"Fine," he says. "Let's go home."

 

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

 

**All in the Family**

 

  
Rikki is freaking out.

She's _here_! In New York! With her Uncle Bucky!

Bucky friggin' Barnes! The Howling Commando! The Winter Soldier!

_Uncle_  Bucky! And he's totally okay with her calling him that, too. She hoped he would be, but the fact that he actually _is_... Well, it's almost too much.

Rikki can't believe she's finally seeing him in person. Like, for _real_. It was one thing to read about him in the history books and know she was related, but then she found out along with the rest of the world that not only is he still alive but he has _super powers_  now, not to mention a robot arm. And, oh, is she dying to get a good look at _that_. Because, hello, _robot_  arm. Unfortunately, his left arm is hidden under the sleeve of the beat-up Army jacket he's wearing which has the name 'Reilly' on it. The rank is the same, though. Sergeant. What the heck is _that_  about, she wonders.

Then again, Uncle Bucky might be wondering the same thing about her Official Smithsonian Bucky Barnes Howling Commando jacket. She saved up for _months_  to buy it and it's her absolute favorite thing _ever_. Except... She's standing right _next_  to the _real_  Bucky Barnes and he probably thinks she's a stupid kid playing dress-up in copies of his old clothes. If he doesn't think she's a complete dork, that is.

Ugh.

"I like your jacket," Uncle Bucky says, reaching over and messing up her hair.

Rikki emits a sound that's somewhere between a giggle and an embarrassed squeak because, yes, she's absolutely a dork and Uncle Bucky knows it. And then, because she's a dork, she blurts, "Doesn't Spider-Man have one, too?"

"He has two of them," Mary Jane says with a grin. "I made him the first one and Tony Stark made him the one he wore to Arlington."

Suddenly it hits Rikki that not only is she walking home with Bucky frigging Barnes -- her great grand-uncle -- but she's also walking with _Spidey's girlfriend_! "You made the Halloween costume!"

"And I made almost all of the Spidey suits before Tony started making them out of his military grade whoziwhatsis," Mary Jane says proudly.

Rikki stares at her. "Really?"

"You have no idea how much it cost to keep that boy in spandex." Mary Jane rolls her eyes skyward and then she laughs. "Ever see the picture of him with his tush hanging out? I swear I have no idea how he managed _that_  but it went viral and he was mortified for weeks."

Uncle Bucky snorts a laugh. "I have to see that."

"Me too," Rikki agrees, accidentally-on-purpose bumping her arm against his. He looks down at her, winks and bumps his arm against hers.

"You should see the pictures of your Uncle Bucky in _his_  spandex Spidey suit," Jessica Jones says.

What?!

"I'm still waiting to see _your_  super-suit and your purple wig, Jones," Uncle Bucky shoots back with a smirk.

_What_?!

"You're going to eat that fucking wig if you --"

"Language!" Uncle Bucky interrupts her, nodding towards Rikki. "There's an impressionable kid here, for Christ's sake."

Jones flips him off.

Uncle Bucky returns the gesture.

Rikki's mouth drops open.

Mary Jane elbows her and whispers, "Check out the two dorks in love."

It really doesn't matter if Mary Jane shouted that because Uncle Bucky and Jessica Jones are going at each other like Rikki's friend Marla and her not-boyfriend, Jon do every day in the school yard. In fact, the words and hand gestures are flying so fast that Rikki thinks maybe Jessica Jones really does have super powers.

Suddenly, Uncle Bucky goes quiet and still. The smile vanishes from his face as he stops to glare at a two story house with yellow siding and white trim.

"Magneto's home," Jones stage whispers to Rikki. "The two of them had a territorial pissing match over Petey earlier."

Uncle Bucky's head whips in Jones' direction. "He was out of line --"

"Indeed, I was." The door to the house opens and there he is. Mag-freaking-neto. Except he doesn't look like the world's scariest terrorist. He looks like the world's snootiest grandpa in his sweater and jeans. "Perhaps you'd all like to come in. You're making quite the commotion out here."

Rikki is rooted to the spot she's standing in, unable to move.

Uncle Bucky doesn't move either. He plants a hand on Rikki's shoulder.

Magneto heaves a sigh. "I apologize for my behavior earlier, Sergeant Barnes."

"And what do we say to that, Barnes?" Jones prompts him.

"We'd say he has to apologize to Dean Reynolds but the guy'll probably have a fuckin' heart attack if he sees you again," Uncle Bucky says through clenched teeth. "You also owe Petey an apology."

"And I shall apologize to him this afternoon."

"Barnes accepts your apology," Jones announces, grabbing onto Uncle Bucky's left arm. "C'mon, asshole. The neighbors are probably recording all this to post on the 'My Neighbor is Probably the Winter Fucking Soldier' YouTube channel."

Uncle Bucky uses his left hand to pull Rikki close to him as they pass Magneto on their right. She uses the opportunity to try to peek but the hand is hidden inside a leather glove and the rest of the arm is concealed by his jacket but she thinks she can hear it making muffled, mechanical sounds.

Mary Jane doesn't seem at all concerned. In fact, she rises up on tiptoe and gives Magneto a peck on the cheek and a quick one-armed hug. "You meant well," she tells him. "Don't let everyone discourage you, okay?"

Magneto actually _smiles_  for a fraction of second before he adopts a stern expression and asks, "Isn't school still in session, young lady?"

"It's handled," Jones says quickly, shooting a look in Uncle Bucky's direction. "Barnes is going to write a note for Mary Jane. Isn't that right, Barnes?"

"First, I have to get Rikki a change of clothes." Mary Jane looks at each of them in turn. "I'll be back in three minutes. Behave yourselves."

Uncle Bucky doesn't even wait for the door to close behind Mary Jane before taking Rikki's hand and guiding her into the kitchen. "Sit," he orders and then starts pulling packages of cold cuts from the refrigerator.

"Uncle Bucky, I had lunch --" Rikki attempts but he just slides a glass of milk in front of her. "Really, I'm not --"

"You've been on the run for over thirty-eight hours," Uncle Bucky says firmly. "You need a good meal, a hot shower and some sleep."  
  
"And when does she tell you why she's here?" Jones asks. "It's not a social call, remember?"

Uncle Bucky slams down a plate with the biggest sandwich Rikki's ever seen. "She'll tell me _after_  she's eaten that, cleaned herself up and gotten some shuteye."

"But --" Rikki starts to protest.

"Eat," Uncle Bucky orders.

"Do as he says, child," Magneto says and he actually sounds _sympathetic_. "Sergeant Barnes brooks no arguments when it comes to proper nutrition or adequate rest for growing youngsters."

Rikki looks around at all the super-people and she starts to wonder if maybe she shouldn't have just tried to save John by herself. Then she starts eating the damn sandwich.

 

000000000000000

 

**Me and Kong Down by the Schoolyard**

 

"They're probably killing each other," Peter complains as he and Kong run laps around the track.  

Kong elbows him sharply. "Dude, you're going too fast and you're not wheezing."

Peter adjusts his pace and forces himself to breathe heavier. Most of the time, it's easy to hide how much he's changed but in gym class, he has to conceal his muscles under baggy clothing and make sure that he's still the slowest kid in the class. And the weakest. And the biggest spaz. The last is the least difficult, thanks to the Ol' Parker luck. "I should call in sick."

"It's your _second_  day back at the Bugle," Kong argues. "You wanna get fired on your second day?"

Jolly Jonah is just crazy enough to fire Peter if he calls in sick. Or shows up late. Or shows up at all. The man is unpredictable and a complete loon. Except... "You should've seen the way Bucky and Mag --"

"Cousin James and Grandpa," Kong whispers harshly, correcting Peter.

Peter blows out a sigh. " _Cousin James and Grandpa_  looked like they were going to kill each other and that scary Jessica Jones lady was like throwing a lighted match on gasoline with her big mouth."

"Do you really think Mary Jane would let them kill each other?" Kong asks. "Or that she can't handle some scary chick?"

"Well --"

"Mary. Jane. Watson."

"Okay, but --"

"Mary Jane versus big dopes with powers. Who's going to win?"

"Fine," Peter concedes. "Except Tommy's getting out of school next period and --"

"Mary Jane can handle him too," Kong says. "But if it'll make you feel better, I'll drop by and check on everybody."

"And you'll text me if anything weird is going on, right?"

Kong crosses his heart and rolls his eyes, which isn't exactly reassuring. "Dude, just go to your friggin' job. Besides, Spidey might be needed in the city today. The weather is nice and you know all the nuts in their costumes come out in the nice weather."

"True, but --"

"There's lots of other evil mutants out there besides you know who. Not to mention other bad guys and just random crap like apartment building fires, taxis going out of control, --"

"All right! You win!" Peter throws up his hands. "I'm going to work but I'm not going to like it."

"It's work," Kong says with a shrug. "Why would you? Have you seen the crap I have to do at the Garden Garage? I haul bags of friggin' _mulch_. Mulch _smells_ , Peter. Bad. You've got a cushy office job."

"The office job might be cushy but have you ever seen me after..." Peter drops his voice to a whisper. "...chasing a bad guy through the sewers? I've done that more than once and it wasn't any more fun the third time around."

"Poor superhero," Kong sniffs.

"I get shot at."

"You've got super powers."

"HYDRA wants to dissect me."

"Dude, you are a total whiner," Kong tells him. "Go. To. Work. Stop whining and worrying. Mary Jane and I totally have this. It's under control."

Peter considers mentioning the Ol' Parker Luck but Kong will find out soon enough. And _then_  they'll see which of them is the whiner.

 

 

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

 

  
Chapter 9

 

  
**Montauk.  The End**

 

  
Tommy is taking the long way home. Long, as in Long Island. As in a run all the way out to the Montauk Lighthouse which is at the easternmost end of the state. Whales and seals can be seen here sometimes but not today. The deer are out though and not even his unorthodox arrival interrupts their grazing. Tommy watches them for a while. It's peaceful here. Home? Odds are that's the opposite of peaceful. He gets what Aunt May is trying to do but...well, the guy is Magneto, for Chrissakes! And he's Tommy's worst nightmare. What if, deep down, he's an evil mutant too? He knows what Aunt May would say about that. Peter too. And Bucky. Hell, even his own evil twin, Billy doesn't think they're one bad day away from being baby Magnetos. Tommy wishes he was that sure.

What if that craziness runs in the blood, just like his scary mutant abilities?

This is what keeps him awake at night and makes him run.

Peter thinks he might be able to run on water without sinking. Tommy stares out across the Atlantic and wonders if he could. He could run anywhere. Italy, for pizza. France, for French fries. It's tempting to try it.

Instead,Tommy turns west and begins the run home.

 

  
**The Family Barnes**

 

  
"I can't eat another bite," Rikki says, pushing the plate away. She tried. Really. But between the immense size of the sandwich, the weird tension and the bickering that erupted every few minutes what she needs is an aspirin, not a sandwich.

Uncle Bucky's gaze ticks down to the mostly-eaten sandwich. "Good job," he declares, picking up the plate and carrying it away.

Rikki has to fight back a sigh of relief.

"C'mon, sweetheart," Uncle Bucky says, picking up her backpack and the shopping bag full of clothes that Mary Jane brought over. "Let me show you where the facilities are."

She follows him from the kitchen, stealing a last look at Jessica Jones and Magneto who are both sitting there, sipping coffee like it's the most natural thing in the world to be hanging out together. The house is cozy, now that Rikki's getting a chance to notice. And spotless.

Uncle Bucky leads her into one of the bedrooms and shuts the door behind her as she steps inside.

It takes her a beat to realize this must be _his_  room. The bed is precisely made, like she could really bounce a quarter on it and if he wasn't here with her, she just might try it. A pair of bulletin boards hang on the walls and they're covered in pictures and small objects. Rikki leans in close for a better look. There are photos of Uncle Bucky by himself, with Peter and Mary Jane and an older woman that she thinks must be the Aunt May they all mentioned. Captain America is in a few of the photos too.

"Sit," Uncle Bucky says, but it's not the sharp order that he gave her in the kitchen.

Still, she does what he says.

He pulls the chair from its spot in front of the small writing desk and settles silently across from her. They stare at each other for what seems like hours before he says, "Tell me everything."

"I thought you said --"

"I lied," Uncle Bucky admits with a grimace. "'S hard for me to lie, not impossible."

"What?" Rikki asks, feeling stupid.

There's another pause before he grits out, "HYDRA."

"Oh." And then the meaning of what he just said hits her. "Ohmigod! Oh! Oh crap! Why!? What --?!"

"Shh." Uncle Bucky reaches over and grabs her hand, squeezing it gently. "I lied because Magneto doesn't need to know Barnes family business. I'm gonna share what you tell me with Jones because she's smart and if anyone can find John, it's her."

"I-is she your girlfriend?"

"We're friends."

"But you like her," Rikki presses. "You know, _like_  her."

Uncle Bucky flashes a goofy grin for a fraction of a second before changing the subject. "We were talking about your brother."

"I need to know something first," Rikki says. "I need to know... If I tell you, are you gonna send me home?" She sucks in a deep breath and looks him right in the eyes. "Because I'm telling you right now, if you do, I'm coming right back and looking for him myself. I'm not going home without John."

"Yeah," Uncle Bucky says with a sigh, "you're a Barnes alright." He leans back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest and Rikki is sure she can hear the left one. "Here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna call Becca and you're going to tell her you're fine and you're with me. She's going to call your folks and pass that on --"

"My dad'll freak!" Rikki blurts. "He says you're dangerous."

"You think Becca can't handle your old man?"

Rikki blinks and then grins at her great grand-uncle. "Great Gran can definitely handle him."

"I just hope I can handle _you_ ," Uncle Bucky says, returning her grin with interest. "Now, spill."

"The police think John's involved with a bunch of skinheads," Rikki begins and then stops. "Um, you know what those are, right?"

"Yeah." He makes a face. "I went to war to get rid of the fu -- uh, friggin' Nazis, remember?"

"Well, it's worse than that."

Uncle Bucky straightens and it feels like all of his senses are focused on her now. There's a series of clicks coming from his left arm. She's sure of it. "How much worse?"

She tells him.

 

  
000000000000000000000

  
**Working for a Living**

 

Web-slinging to work isn't just because it's cheaper for Peter to use web fluid than a MetroCard or because it's faster than taking the subway. No. It's because there's nothing Peter loves more than that feeling of freedom as he swings from one building to another.  It's also because there's always going to be some dipstick committing a crime that he can take out his day's frustrations on.

Kong is right. Just like the robins and other signs of spring, warm weather brings out the nut balls in their freaky costumes. Case in point: the guy with the hula hoops causing mayhem in the Diamond District.

Not long ago, Peter would have just swung in and decked the guy. Or at least _tried_  to. Bucky and Steve are all about _assessing_  the situation before leaping in. So far, the situation is this: Hula Hoop Guy is throwing exploding hula hoops at cop cars and people are getting hurt from exploding store windows and other flying debris. But even if Peter catches one of the damn hoops, there's nowhere for him to throw it where it can safely explode because they're in the middle of midtown and there are buildings and people _everywhere_.

Assessment completed. Swinging in and decking the guy is the way to go.

So he does, thanks to his trusty Spidey sense. He kicks the guy straight down West 47th Street. "Ordinarily, I'd make a wisecrack right now but, dude, your weapon of choice is a friggin' hula hoop. That's enough a joke."

"They're not hula hoops, you stupid mutie freak. They're rings!" The guy says, spitting out two teeth. "I'm the Ringer."

"And you think that makes you sound any tougher?" Peter asks, barely dodging a barrage of rings that don't explode. He spins, snagging them with webbing and pulling them away from the crowd of gawking civilians who are too busy recording the fight to realize they're in danger. Peter can only hope his camera is snapping better photos than the ones that are being sent to the Bugle while he takes this jackass down. "Let me guess, you were down here stealing rings, too."

"No, I was stealing diamonds!"

"Did everybody record that confession? The Ringer over here was stealing diamonds." Peter calls to the crowd, spraying webbing to create a makeshift barrier between the civilians and the fight. His spider sense tingles sharply, warning him as yet another barrage of rings come his way. Peter has no idea how the guy is generating them aside from the fact that he's using tech to do it. And that means... There's a power source.

The great thing about being Spidey is that in addition to being strong and agile, Peter is _fast_. He springs over and behind the Ringer before the guy even sees him coming. And even if he could, he's facing the wrong way.

His power source? That's right between his shoulder blades.

Peter reaches out and tears it from the back of the guy's costume. "And that's the end of the ring toss competition, pal."

The Ringer runs.

With a casual flick of the wrist, Peter snags the Ringer with a jet of webbing and yanks him backward, right into Peter's fist. "Th-th-that's all folks."

The Ringer drops like a sack of potatoes and Peter quickly webs him up.

And then he notices the bulge in the guy's back pocket. A wallet. Crouching, Peter eases the wallet free and reads the guy's drivers license aloud. "Anthony Davis of Medina, Ohio. You came all the way to New York for me to beat the snot out of you? Poor life choices, Anthony."

Since he has the luxury of a few seconds, Peter rifles through the guy's wallet in case Anthony didn't build his own lame-o suit and is stupid enough to carry a clue about who did. He finds an insurance card, a hotel card key for the Red Roof Inn in Jersey City and a business card for Desmond Daniels, CEO of FOH. In other words, nothing.

He webs the wallet and its contents to Anthony's chest and is about to beat a hasty retreat before he can be blamed for the mess when he hears the explosion coming from the south. Peter turns and sees smoke rising into the sky from what he thinks is close to Union Square. Sirens that were heading to the Diamond District abruptly turn south.

Peter looks down at the Ringer and it dawns on him that maybe this idiot wasn't acting on his own. Maybe he was a distraction. And maybe his ring-suit was built by the same people who built the bomb.

Maybe Peter needs to worry about that later.

He has work to do.

 

000000000000000000

 

  
**Home is Where the Heroes Are**

 

Tommy takes a deep breath and lets himself into the house. It's a lot quieter than he expected. Jessica Jones is in the kitchen, having coffee with Magneto. He doesn't see Bucky or that kid anywhere.

"Thomas --" Magneto begins.

"Tommy," Tommy corrects him for the billionth time.

"Tommy," Magneto amends. "Bucky is upstairs with the young lady he brought home."

"Rikki," Tommy starts to say but stops when he sees the look on Jones' face. "Are we not telling him anything?"

Jones throws her hands up. "Been in the middle of that once today."

"Okay," Tommy shrugs. "Well, I've got homework to do." And just as he's congratulating himself on making his escape from an afternoon of _bonding_  with Magneto, the door opens and Kong rushes in, out of breath. "Dude, don't you have a class now?"

"Turn on the TV," Kong wheezes.

"What --?"

With a growl, Kong lopes over to the coffee table, grabs the remote and turns on the television.

Tommy finds himself staring at images of a smoldering pile of rubble and of course, there's Peter, frantically pulling out people. "What the hell...?"

Magneto gets to his feet as the crawl across the bottom of the screen tells them that they're looking at the remains of the Charles Xavier Youth Outreach Center.

"A group calling itself Friends of Humanity is claiming responsibility," the reporter is saying. "The FBI says they have a recorded statement but they haven't shared it with the media at this time. Spider-Man arrived on the scene moments after the blast according to bystanders and he's leading the search for survivors."

"Should we go help?" Tommy asks.

"Our presence will only inflame the situation," Magneto says quietly.

Jones stands up too. "Ever hear of Friends of Humanity before, Erik?"

He shakes his head, still watching the scene unfold.

"I have," Bucky says, coming down the stairs. Rikki is at his heels and she's staring wide-eyed at the television. "So has Rikki."

"How," Erik asks in the quietest voice Tommy's ever heard him use, "do you know of them?"

Bucky's mouth twists. "They're the group of assholes my great grand-nephew got himself mixed up with."

 

 

 


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

 

**Aftermath**

 

  
As he expected, the Daily Bugle offices are frantic and it takes him three tries before a harried-looking young man directs him to the tiny cubicle in the corner where Peter is managing information on three separate screens. The boy's fingers fly frantically over the keyboard, his eyes darting from one screen to the next, fully intent on his task.

"Peter."

"Just a sec," Peter mumbles, eyes still glued to his monitors. "The live stream of the mayor's speech is gonna crash the site unless... There." He swivels his chair around and his mouth drops open to emit a horrified squeak when he sees Erik standing behind him. Peter leaps to his feet, whispering frantically, "What are you doing here?! Did anyone see you?"

"I imagine they all did," Erik shrugs. He gestures at his overcoat, cane, Homburg and thick glasses. "Nobody bothered to spare me a second look. Apparently, it is indeed true that once you are of a certain age, you are invisible."

"Ohmigod," Peter moans, clapping a hand to his forehead. "Why would you come here!? It's bad enough you showed up at my school. Dude, I _work_  here a-and --"

"And your papa agreed that you've worked enough for one day and that I should come fetch you."

The boy shoots him a skeptical look. "He agreed?"

"Indeed." Erik raises an eyebrow and avoids mention of the spirited discussion with Sergeant Barnes that led to the agreement, which needed to be negotiated by May. "It is late, Peter, and long past time for you to come home."

"Late? It's only --"

"After ten p.m." Adopting a stern expression, Erik gestures to the candy bar wrappers on Peter's desk. "I assume that was your dinner."

Peter hastily sweeps the wrappers into the trash can under his desk. "They were just a snack."

Erik doesn't even bother dignifying the lie with a response. Besides, Sergeant Barnes so enjoys fretting over the boy's nutrition that Erik would hate to deprive him of such a golden opportunity. "We expected you to come straight home after the FBI took over the crime scene --"

"They needed me here to make sure the website could handle the extra traffic and to get the updates posted quickly," Peter says.

"And?" Erik prompts because of course there's more.

"And I wanted to see what our investigative reporters had on Friends of Humanity," Peter mumbles, ducking his head. "Not everything makes it into print."

"Have you completed all you set out to do?"

"There's a task force update in an hour --"

"Which someone else will have to handle," Erik says firmly. "You have school in the morning."

"Peter?" A man with an obvious air of authority rounds the corner and pokes his head into Peter's cubicle. "I didn't realize you were still here."

Erik slouches and affects the accent he worked so hard to shed after leaving Germany. It's a manner of concealment that has worked well for him before. "I have come to take the boy home."

Peter's eyes go wide and he swallows nervously. "Uh... Mister Robertson, this is my, uh, m-my grandfather. Grandpa, this is --"

"It is a pleasure to meet you," Erik says, shaking Robertson's extended hand, neatly avoiding the need to introduce himself. "Peter so enjoys his work here. It's easy to understand how he lost track of the time but it is late and tomorrow he has school." He turns to Peter. "Have you even touched your homework?"

The deer-in-headlights expression is nothing next to the furious blush that colors the boy's face. "Uh --"

"You need to get home, Peter," Robertson says sternly. "Your aunt was very clear about schoolwork coming first."

"But --"

"Betty!" Robertson calls, topic of discussion clearly finished. "I need you to take over web updates!" With that, he's already halfway down office, entering another cubicle.

With a defeated sigh, Peter switches off his computer and scoops up his backpack. "I'm guessing we're not taking the subway."

"It is still running on a limited basis," Erik shrugs. "Fortunately, I can have us home in minutes. I trust you have a safe route to the roof."

"Yeah." Peter peeks out of his cubicle and leads Erik down the hall to the fire stairs. "The security cameras --"

"Are malfunctioning temporarily."

"Show off."

Erik smiles. Then he wraps the boy in a magnetic cocoon and easily lifts them both into the air, using a small burst of his power to open the door to the roof. Setting them down gently, Erik transforms his disguise into something more comfortable. And speaking of comfort, he knows that Peter is frustrated at being taken from the action. "There is more to be done, Peter, but it does not need to be done tonight."

"There could still be survivors --"

"If there are, Steven will find them."

"They didn't have to make me leave."

"When you cool off and think about," Erik says carefully, "you will see that it was a kindness to send you away and not a judgment about your ability to do the job."

"A kindness?" Peter echoes disbelievingly. "I pulled out _survivors_  --"

"And you saw things that you will see again in your dreams for years to come." Erik reaches out to grip the boy's shoulders, kneading gently. "I know this firsthand."

Peter rounds on him. "Yeah? Where were _you_  this afternoon? You could have lifted all that debris without breaking a sweat."

"You think I do not know this?!" Erik thunders and then winces as the boy flinches. He takes a deep breath. "Tell me, Peter, what would have happened if I came to offer my help?"

The boy heaves a sigh and deflates. "Sorry."

"Peter, you did more today than I was able. I am proud of you but I am also..." Erik trails off. It's been so long since he's been around young people and their idealistic way of seeing the world. "I am sorry that you had to see the things you did, to see what ignorant hatred can accomplish."

Peter raises his chin. "I'm going to find the people responsible."

"I have no doubt you will but first, you must go home and let Sergeant Barnes fuss over you. He is quite anxious to ensure that you've suffered no harm." Erik favors the boy with a small smile. "Most likely, he will express his concerns through a scolding and a meal."

"Yeah," Peter grins. "He does that." The boy squints up at him. "You're going to move in, aren't you?"

"The thought has not even occurred to me."

"No, but it's probably occurred to Aunt May."

"Perhaps. She's a lovely woman."

"Dude, she's... No! Just no, okay?"

It takes everything Erik has to keep a straight face as he flies them back to Queens. Home. To his family.

 

0000000000000000

 

**The Late Supper**

 

 

Barnes hears Magneto and Petey touch down a fraction of a second before he yanks the front door open. Even though Aunt May isn't enhanced, she's right at his heels to greet them. Magneto's arm is around Peter's shoulders as he steers the kid into the house and announces, "Peter skipped dinner."

Petey whips around to glare at the man. "Wha --?! Why would you do that?"

"Because it is true and because you help no one by not taking proper care of yourself," Magneto intones. His eyes meet Barnes' and silently add the final rationale, that it was one more olive branch the man is extending.

"Are you all right?" Aunt May asks. "You had a busy day."

"I'm fine, Aunt May."

"No, you're not," Barnes scolds him. "You're tired and hungry and it's almost eleven. Do I even need to ask if you did your homework?"

"Bucky," Aunt May says quietly. "Hush. Peter was a hero today. We can cut him a little slack."

"I am kinda hungry," Petey admits.

Barnes quietly savors _that_  victory as he launches into his inspection to make sure the kid isn't hiding any bleeding wounds, broken bones or other injuries. Satisfied, he steps back. "Say hello to your cousin Rikki while I reheat dinner for you."

"I'll do that," Aunt May says. "Erik, would you like some coffee?"

"I would."

Petey scowls as he watches them go into the kitchen together.

"Something wrong?" Barnes asks quietly, leaning close to Petey. "Did he say something? Do something?"

"He... He _flirted_  with Aunt May," Peter bites out.

The plates in Barnes' arm snap into place. "What?! When?"

"Last night. Dinner. Tommy told me."

Barnes directs a glare towards the kitchen.

"He denied it," Petey goes on, "but do you see the way he follows her around?"

"Couldn't miss it."

"Oh my God, you two are total _dorks_ ," Rikki says from the sofa where she's sitting with Tommy.

"No, they're not," Tommy argues.

"You're a dork, too," Rikki declares. She bounces to her feet, strides over to Petey and sticks out her hand. "I'm your cousin, Rikki Proctor."

Petey looks down at her hand. "You know --"

"That you're Spider-Man?" She grabs his hand with hers and shakes it vigorously. "Yeah. I also know we're related to, like, half the superheroes in New York through all sorts of weird stuff. Like, you have a friggin' _clone_  --"

"You cannot tell _anybody_ ," Petey intones.

Rikki rolls her eyes.

"I mean it. Not just for me. Do you know what would happen if the bad guys knew who I am and where I live? Aunt May would be in danger every day. You can't tell anybody! Not your parents, not your brother, nobody. Ever," Petey lectures.

Barnes decides not to mention how most of the bad guys already know who Peter is and where he lives. None of them would be stupid enough to attack anyway, not with the Winter Soldier living here, too.

"Nobody believes that Bucky Barnes is my great grand uncle. You think they'd believe I'm related to Spider-Man, Captain America, Daredevil and Magneto?" Rikki shoots back. "Heck, even I don't believe it and I've seen the flowchart."

"Flowchart?" Petey echoes.

"Yeah," Tommy puts in. "I made a flowchart. You know, to keep track of everybody."

"Can you take me swinging around with you?" Rikki asks.

Peter stares at her. "No!"

"You take Uncle Bucky."

"That's different."

Rikki snorts.

"It is!" Petey insists. "If a bad guy pops up or one of my enemies comes after us, Bucky can handle himself."

"I can handle myself," Rikki argues. "I've been practicing."

Barnes stares down at her. "What do you mean, practicing?"

She flushes and ducks her head. "I followed John a few times without him noticing."

"John's a card carrying member of Friends of Humanity," Tommy announces for Petey's benefit.

Peter gapes at him. "What!?"

"Our cousin's not just any ol' bigot," Tommy goes on. "He's a mutant hating bigot, which means I automatically hate his friggin' guts right back."

"He doesn't," Rikki says. "He's just--"

"He's just gonna get his ass kicked when I meet him and I won't use powers to do it," Tommy promises.

"Shut up a minute," Petey says, turning to Barnes. "John is mixed up with Friends of Humanity?"

Barnes nods tightly.

"The same Friends of Humanity that blew up an entire building in the East Village just because it was a shelter for runaway mutant kids?" Petey asks.

"Yes."

"The same Friends of Humanity that killed all those kids _our_  age that I pulled out of the rubble?" Petey's voice breaks on the last word and he quickly sniffs and wipes at his eyes. "That Friends of Humanity?"

"Petey," Barnes begins.

"Don't you 'Petey' me!" Petey explodes. "I don't care if he's my cousin or your great whatever! I'm going to find him and I'm going to make sure he pays for what he did! People _died_ , Bucky! And what? You're going to say it's not John's fault because he's _confused_  or some stupid excuse?!"

"He's family," Barnes says firmly. "And if he was part of this -- if he had anything to do with this, he'll pay for it. But he's not the mastermind behind it. That's a guy by the name of Desmond Daniels."

Peter stares at him, wide-eyed. "Come again?"

"We have a name, Petey."

Peter groans. "I had a phone number. I had everything and I didn't make the connection! God, I'm such an idiot!"

"What do you mean, you had a phone number?" Barnes asks and doesn't bother correcting the ridiculous comment about Petey being an idiot.

"I had a fight with a guy who calls himself the Ringer," Peter begins. He launches into yet another bizarre explanation about the weirdo he fought earlier in midtown. The news channels barely mentioned it after the explosion.

Barnes sighs, looks at Rikki and then at Petey. Finally, he looks at Tommy. Lying is hard, but not impossible. Avoiding the subject? That's a lot easier. "It's late and you two have school tomorrow. Rikki, you need to get some rest."

"And you're going to talk to Jessica Jones about what I found," Peter says.

Tommy snorts. "Talk, hell. They're gonna break into the police evidence locker for the wallet and then go chasing that Daniels guy. I want in."

"A pity then that you're a child and have to do what Sergeant Barnes and your mama tell you," Magneto says coming into the living room. "As do you, Peter. I, however, have no such restraints upon my liberty. May I assist you in your quest, Sergeant Barnes?"

"For chrissakes, call me Bucky already," Barnes growls at him. "I haven't been a sergeant in over seventy years."

"And we _are_  related."

"Don't push it."

He can already tell he's going to regret this.

 

 

 

 

 


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

 

  
**The Think Tank**

 

  
Desmond Daniels doesn't exist. There are no birth records, no legal name changes, no driver's licenses, no nothing. He doesn't exist _legally_. What he is, though, is a name that crops up on the dark web, in locked blogs and chat rooms that JARVIS is working to decrypt. Friends of Humanity would have been easier to Google _before_  they blew up a building and became a top search hit. Luckily, there are ways around that, too. Ways that I could do myself but that JARVIS can do a lot faster. Hanging with the mask-and-tights crowd annoys the fuck out of me but it has its perks too. Not that I'll ever admit it.

I don't even need to hack into John Proctor's social media accounts. Bill Dankowicz, the PI in Philly, was generous enough to give me access when I told him it might help me find Rikki. He probably wouldn't have been as generous if I told him that John was here in New York and that I was going to find him first. For free. Because... _Barnes_. Billing a brainwashed, fucked-up, ex-assassin, current asshole or his hundred year old sister just doesn't feel like the right thing to do, even though I do so much goddamn work for free I could probably retire off of it if I charged them. And that's without the hazard pay for the getting caught in explosions and being shot at that come with the territory of doing a favor for Barnes.

This is what I'm thinking as I'm sitting on the toilet. Just as I reach for the toilet paper, I hear Barnes' voice from the living room. I kick the bathroom door shut because who the fuck doesn't piss with the door open in their own apartment if they live by themselves?

"Jones? Are you okay?" Barnes calls out.

I answer him with a flush and take my time washing my hands before going out to find out what the fuck he wants now. And then I see that he brought the Asshole of Magnetism with me. It's enough to almost make me embarrassed about the fact that I'm in my underwear.

Almost.

"Did it ever occur to you to call first, Barnes?" I demand.

"Did it ever occur to you to put on a pair of fucking pants?" Barnes shoots back.

"This is my apartment, Barnes. I can walk around naked if I want."

Of course that shuts him up. In fact, it seems like the idea overloads his circuits because there's a long pause while all he does is swallow slowly and stare at me.

I savor my victory for the entire second it takes me to remember that Magneto is seeing me in my fucking underwear and this particular pair is my shitty pair of period underwear. With a giant hole in the ass.

"Make yourselves comfortable while I put on a pair of pants," I say sarcastically and force myself to walk at normal speed into the bedroom where I put on a decent pair of underwear out of deference to my mother's memory before I tug on my jeans. Grabbing a shirt, I pull it over my head as I make my way back out to my unwelcome guests. "What the fuck do you want now, Barnes?"

"I have a lead for us to chase," he says. "That nutball Petey took down in the Diamond District had a business card for Desmond Daniels in his wallet and he was staying at the Red Roof Inn in Jersey City."

"What nutball?"

Magneto's lips curl with distaste as he says, "He called himself 'the Ringer'."

"Anthony Davis from Medina, Ohio," Barnes adds.

"I don't know what's worse," I say, settling into my desk chair and waking up my laptop. "That he's from fucking Ohio or that he had such a loser bad guy name." There's barely any coverage of Petey's fight with the moron but that doesn't matter because JARVIS pulls up Tweets and Tumblr posts from people who were there to see it. I click on the first video and I realize that despite the lame-ass name, the Ringer was pretty goddamned dangerous. "Jesus Christ..."

The plates in Barnes' arm whir and click loudly as he and Magneto come around to watch the video over my shoulder. "Petey never mentioned exploding whatever-the-fuck those are."

"Look how quickly he takes control of the situation," Magneto says approvingly.

Barnes leans in for a closer look as Petey gets the Ringer to confess to stealing diamonds. "That's because the guy was a lightweight, even with the exploding shit."

"He had exploding ring...things! How is that lightweight?!" I demand.

Magneto smiles down at me. "There are far more dangerous opponents out there, Ms. Jones."

"And Barnes wonders why I don't want to fly around the city in a stupid costume." I roll my eyes at the two of them. "The precinct for the Diamond District is Midtown South but he's probably been questioned and shipped off to Central Booking by now."

"Can we find out for sure?" Barnes asks. "Maybe JARVIS --?"

"Barnes," I cut him off, "as interesting as breaking and entering into the Manhattan Criminal Court building with you and the Asshole of Magnetism sounds, there's actually an easier -- and _legal_  -- way to get Davis' personal effects from the cops. And as a bonus, we can even ask him questions."

He looks at me expectantly. "How?"

"We send his lawyer in to meet with him before his arraignment."

"His lawyer?"

"Matt Murdock. Or Foggy Nelson. I really don't give a fuck which one of them you drag into this bullshit," I say, waving my hand at him. "Everyone's going to regret it eventually when shit starts exploding and HYDRA shoots at us because you know they're behind everything."

"They're not behind _everything_ ," Barnes grumbles. "Just...a lot of things."

"And what they are not behind, the government is," Magneto adds. "Typically with an anti-mutant agenda."

There isn't enough bourbon in the world for me to deal with this. I cut my eyes to Barnes. "Well?"

He blinks at me. "Well what?"

"Go get Murdock."

"And what're you gonna be doing?" Barnes asks me.

"My job, Barnes. Finding out everything there is to know about Anthony Davis from Medina fucking Ohio and his connection to Friends of Humanity."

Magneto looks at me and then at Barnes, clearly at a loss as to which of us is the lesser evil to spend time with.

"You can make coffee," I tell him sweetly. "The kitchen is right through there."

People would pay money to see a picture of the Asshole of Magnetism flipping me off because _nobody_  would believe it.

 

0000000000000

 

**Mama's Boy**

 

  
Tommy can't sleep.

Peter? He's sound asleep which only ticks Tommy off more about not being able to sleep. The little nerd passed out the second his head hit the pillow, despite the fact he's sleeping on the floor of his own room in a sleeping bag while Tommy takes over his bed. Tommy can't wait for Magneto to go back upstate so he can have his own room back. And it's weird, thinking of a room he's lived in for a few weeks as his own, or this house as his, or Aunt May as his... "Mama."

"Huh? Whuzzat?" Peter mumbles sleepily.

"The hell I have to do what Sergeant Barnes and my mama tell me," Tommy declares indignantly, making air quotes as he repeats Magneto's earlier words. "My mama. Who does that jerk Magneto think he is?"

"He thinks he's the scariest mutant on the planet," Peter yawns. "And legally, Aunt May _is_  --"

"Dude, I know that." Tommy props himself up on one elbow. "She's more of a mom to me than my own mom was. I mean, I love my mom. Loved. Whatever. But, Aunt May... She doesn't care that my powers are what they are or that I'm Magneto's grandson. She's --"

"Gonna be mad if she finds out you're talking instead of sleeping," Peter says firmly and he sounds wide awake now.

Tommy leans over the edge of the bed to look Peter in the eyes. "You can't tell me you're happy being left behind while Bucky --"

"I'm _fine_  being left behind." Peter yawns again. "In case you didn't notice, I had a really full day."

"Oh, I noticed all right," Tommy says with a scowl. "It's not fair that you get to run around and save the day while I'm stuck here --"

"Learning not to kill people with a single punch."

"Stop interrupting me!"

There's a soft knock at the door and then Rikki lets herself in without bothering to be invited. "Well?"

"Well what?" Peter asks her.

"Aren't you going to do something?"

Peter scrubs a hand over his face. "I am. I'm _trying_  to sleep and _you_  should go on to the Internet and research why it's rude to barge in without being invited."

"I've already been on the Internet," Rikki tells him. "But I was looking up Anthony Davis and --"

"No," Peter says. "Bucky's handling it."

Tommy snorts. "Bucky and _Magneto_  are handling it. How do you think _that's_  gonna go?" He bounces off the bed and kneels next to Peter as he adds his final argument. "And they're getting Jessica Jones to help them."

Peter's eyes narrow at Tommy and then he turns to Rikki. "What did you find out?"

 

00000000000000

 

**In the Kitchen with Daredevil**

 

They say that nature abhors a vacuum and the gangs in Hell's Kitchen have embraced the saying with gusto. With Wilson Fisk in jail, there is definitely a power vacuum and the gangs are ramping up for the coming war for control. As Daredevil, Matt Murdock is doing everything in his power to delay that war for as long as possible. Tonight, he's shutting down an arms shipment that's supposed to be making its way to the Dogs of Hell.

Four of the Dogs have just pulled into the parking lot just off of Twelfth Avenue where the deal is going to go down. The van that's supposed to deliver the guns is late. Matt waits and enjoys listening to the idle and not-so-idle threats being exchanged about what's going to happen in the event that the dealer screws over the Dogs. But just because he's listening to the banter doesn't mean he doesn't hear the tell-tale thump of a super soldier heartbeat accompanied by the mechanical sounds of Bucky Barnes' cybernetic arm.

Barnes settles besides him. "The truck's not coming."

"You took care of it?" Matt asks.

"The NYPD took care of it. There's a task force on their way now," Barnes explains. "They're assembled on the East Side, which is why you don't know about it but JARVIS knows and that's why _I_ knew you'd be here."

The problem with super soldiers -- Soviet-trained ones especially -- is that they are extremely hard to read. Matt, however, is no slouch. "Let me guess. This isn't a social call."

"No --"

"You came to ask a favor."

"Yes --"

"Need I remind you of what happened the _last_  time I did a favor for you?" Matt cuts him off again, launching into full-blown cross-examination mode. "I ended up in _two_  foreign countries and _Disney World_  fighting killer robots --"

"There are no killer robots this time around," Barnes interrupts. "What there are, are people who hate people like us. The Friends of Humanity."

There's just the faintest uptick in Barnes' respiration and Matt pounces on it. "Did they threaten Peter?"

Barnes pauses while the police cars quietly begin surrounding the would-be arms deal. "My great grand-nephew is mixed up with them."

Before Matt can ask about _that_  revelation, there's a spray of machine gun fire and in the space of the second it takes him to react, the Dogs and the dealer are dead. The man calling himself the Punisher has entered the fray. Again. Matt strains to hear the sound of the man's heartbeat over the wailing of sirens and the chaos below. But it's too late. He's vanished.

"Whoever he is," Barnes says, "he's a pro."

"He calls himself the Punisher," Matt tells him. "Like me, he goes after the gangs. Unlike me, he kills them. I've had a couple of run-ins with him already. It's why I won't let Jess go out by herself. Thank God she's not fighting me too hard on the subject."

Barnes blows out a sigh. "Don't you know by now that's when you need to worry about them the most?"

"So how confident are you that your two are safely tucked in their beds?" Matt counters.

"Three. My great grand-niece is with them," Barnes says, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket. "I'm as confident as I can be when the trackers I've put into their super suits tell me they're still home."

"That's pretty overconfident, considering one of them has a genius-level IQ and loves to play with tech."

Barnes flips him off. "Are we going to sit here and compare parenting tips or are you going to help me?"

"What is it you need me to do, Barnes?" Because of course he's not going to say no. No matter how much he's probably going to regret it later when the laser beams start shooting and he's in over his head.

"What you do best, Murdock."

And _those_  are the words that convince Matt that yes, he's definitely going to regret it later.

 

 

 

 


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

 

  
**The Secret Identity Club**

 

  
"Peter!"

"Huh?"

"Wake up!" Rikki glares at him but it doesn't do much good. This is the third time Peter's dozed off while she was showing him all the Tweets and Tumblr posts from people John connected with during the past few months. There are three connections from Ohio and she's positive she's figured out which one of them is Anthony Davis, aka the Ringer. "We need your help."

"You don't need him," Tommy says. "You've got me."

Rikki knows he's Magneto's grandson and that Uncle Bucky trusts him. Still, she's heard of Spider-Man. She's pretty sure she's never heard of Tommy before. "You're a superhero like Peter?"

Tommy puffs himself up. "I'm _the_  superhero."

"Really?" It's hard not to scoff at him. "What's your super power?" The next thing she knows, Tommy is sitting in front of her, wearing Peter's Spidey mask and she's positive he didn't move. "How did you do that?"

"I'm _that_  fast."

"You're an idiot," Peter says from his sleeping bag cocoon without opening his eyes. "Put my mask back where you found it and go to bed."

Tommy flips him off and tosses the mask at him. He eyes Rikki. "You know, in the time it's taken us trying to wake up the webhead, we could've been to fuckin' Ohio, tossed the Ringer's place and been back."

"Anthony Davis' home address is right here," Rikki says slowly, turning her laptop towards him.

They both look at Peter. He's curled up in his sleeping bag and is snoring lightly.

"We don't need him," Tommy says again.

Rikki blinks in surprise because somehow, he's changed out of his pajamas and into a silver and green costume. "I-I don't have a disguise."

"Sure you do." Tommy walks at normal speed to the closet, plucks out a garment bag and drops it into her lap. "Wear that, Rikki Barnes."

She unzips the bag and peeks inside at the Bucky Barnes costume that Peter wore to Arlington. The details put her official replica to shame. Running a finger over the thick fabric of the jacket, Rikki already feels like the costume is hers. The costume. Not the name. But there is a name she's been thinking about since she hit the road. A secret identity of her own. "Not Rikki Barnes," she says. "Call me Nomad."

 

 

0000000000

 

**Orange is the New Whatever**

 

  
Despite what they show on television, visiting an inmate is a time-consuming process, especially if your visit is unannounced and the prisoner is awaiting arraignment. I've seen lawyers dicked around for hours while they wait to see their clients. Hell, _I've_  been dicked around for hours waiting to see clients. Murdock knows his way around the Manhattan Detention Center -- affectionately known as the Tombs -- and the cops there seem, if not friendly, at least cordial with him even if they're dicking around with him on principle.

We still have to wait. There are lawyers ahead of us and it takes time and paperwork to locate an inmate, secure him and bring him to a visiting room. The waiting area smells like anxiety and desperation, not to mention cheap cologne from the court-appointed defense lawyers, all of them still wet behind the ears and pretending to be seasoned big-time defense counsel.

Murdock, thankfully, doesn't put on any airs. He sits quietly, calmly. Or, at least, that's how it looks to me.

I'm not calm. I'm thinking about the last time I visited a prison, the day Hope Shlottman was released. I can't help thinking she'd have still been alive if she'd stayed behind bars. I also can't help thinking that it's my fault she's dead. Everyone may say the fault is Kilgrave's and there are times I almost believe it. Almost. Never completely.

When we're finally summoned to meet with Murdock's 'client', he doesn't tell me to let him do all the talking. Instead, he asks, "Do you mind taking notes? Normally, Foggy or Karen does it --"

"I _always_  take notes," I tell him, pulling out my notebook and pen.

"Thanks."

We sit in a silence that isn't the least bit awkward until two guards bring Davis in. The left side of his face is swollen, no doubt from Petey's fist, and when he collapses into the chair opposite us, he makes a soft, pained grunt.

"I'm Matthew Murdock," Murdock says quietly. "If you're amenable, I'll present your defense. Otherwise, you're welcome to use the court-appointed lawyer."

Davis takes a minute to think it over. "You're private?"

"Yes."

"Who's paying you?"

"It's taken care of," Murdock tells him and I'm impressed with how easily he dodges the question while implying that the FOH might be footing the bill. "I'm going to need to ask you a few questions so that I'm prepared for whatever the DA might throw at us."

Davis doesn't even bother asking who I am, proving he's not only a bigot but a sexist, too.

Murdock starts off slowly, asking about Davis' injuries and I manage to keep my poker face when the asshole tells us how Spidey hit him so hard that he knocked out two of Davis' teeth.

"There are multiple video and audio recordings of you where you admit to stealing the diamonds," Murdock says. "You understand how difficult that makes our position. A not guilty plea is only going to be a delaying tactic between now and a guilty verdict. However, so far we haven't been offered a plea bargain."

Of course we haven't. The asshole hasn't been officially charged yet. Murdock is playing on his unfamiliarity with the process because Davis doesn't have a criminal record and probably has no idea how any of this works.

"You're looking at fifteen to twenty years for the robbery alone," Murdock goes on. "Then there's the property damage, the assault of the police officers--"

"You know I can't flip on them. They have people in here," Davis says. "They have people _everywhere_. You know this, if they're paying you."

I lean forward. "I need to know how much you know so we can figure out how much protection you're going to need."

Davis finally looks at me.

"You said it yourself. We have people in here. So do _they_ ," I say, implying that there are some seriously pissed off mutants behind bars with him. And for all I know, there probably are.

"Let's start from the beginning," Murdock says.

And Davis, because he's a complete moron, spills his guts.

 

 

00000000000000000

 

  
**Magnetic Wisdom**

 

  
Barnes is used to silently waiting. HYDRA assholes never bothered trying to have conversations with him and even before then, he was a sniper. Silently waiting doesn't bother him. What bothers him is being left behind in Jones' apartment while she and Murdock question Davis. And what _really_  bugs him is being left behind with Magneto. The only silver lining is that it seems to bother Magneto more, no matter how hard he tries to hide it.

"Coffee?" Magneto asks, breaking the silence.

"No, thanks." He's been over Jones' research twice now and read all the Tweets and Tumblr posts that JARVIS isolated. The chat rooms and blog posts on the dark webs were only slightly more anti-mutant in tone but if any plans were made, they're in a code that JARVIS has yet to decipher. It's also taking JARVIS time to trace the origins of the posts because people took great pains to hide their identities.

"Perhaps Ms. Jones was correct in suggesting we return home," Magneto says, attempting conversation again. "When she returns, she'll call --"

Barnes doesn't even attempt to hold back his derisive snort at this. "She _never_  calls. If we leave, she'll go on without us." His eyes narrow. "Not that she can't handle herself --"

"There are things she cannot handle," Magneto declares firmly. "Jones is largely untrained and lacks any understanding of her abilities."

Finally. Something they can actually agree on. "She refuses to let me train with her."

"She has rebuffed my offers as well."

Still, Barnes is proud of the fact that he's managed to pass on a few lessons along the way, not that he's going to mention it now. That's between Jones and him.

Magneto peers at Barnes. "This isn't just about Ms. Jones. You're concerned for the boy. Do you share Rikki's opinion that he's merely acting out, that his actions are less about anti-mutant sentiment than not knowing how to express his anger at whatever troubles him?"

"Doesn't matter what's set him off. What matters is that he stops and gets his head on straight."

"In my vast experience with those who hate mutants," Magneto says slowly, "the most outspoken are those who are themselves gifted or who have someone close to them who is. Though I myself have been the cause of some of the extremism."

Barnes rolls his eyes. "You think?"

" _You_  are gifted, Sergeant Barnes." Magneto lets that sink in for a beat and then continues before Barnes can interrupt. "Tell me, do you think John might have been a bit upset to learn that the famous James Buchanan Barnes, from whom he is indirectly descended, is not only still alive but the Fist of HYDRA and considered by many to be a dangerous criminal?"

The idea knocks the breath out of Barnes. "Are you saying this is _my_  fault?"

"I am saying that the boy's motivations may be less about mutants and more about the identity he based on his relation to you," Magneto says. "You see how much the girl worships you. Do you think her brother felt differently?"

"I --"

"It is why you will be able to reach him, why he will listen when you tell him that the path he's on is the wrong one."

Just when Barnes is sure he can't stand the magnetic bastard for the way he's insinuated himself into the Parker family, the asshole goes and gives good advice. "This doesn't mean I'm okay with you and Aunt May."

It's Magneto's turn to roll his eyes skyward. "She is a friend, James. That's all." His expression softens slightly. "One of the very few I've made in my long life. Steven is another. I would like it very much if I could count you among my friends as well."

Barnes' phone beeps and vibrates wildly, saving him from having to answer. Unfortunately, the phone is telling him about a whole new world of trouble. "Tommy's on the move," he says slowly, tapping the 'home' button for JARVIS. "JARVIS, what's this other signal?"

"That is the replica of your uniform that Sir made for Peter to wear to Arlington," JARVIS answers.

"Why the hell is Petey wearing _that_?" Barnes wonders aloud.

A second later, it hits him.

Petey isn't wearing that uniform.

Rikki is.

"Shall I leave Ms. Jones a note?" Magneto asks.

"You're not --"

"I can fly and quickly take us wherever we need to go, James. Can you?"

Barnes grits his teeth. He's got a new friend. Whether he wants one or not.

 

 

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I know this was a really long wait between chapters. I had a little health thingie that needed to be addressed (Hello, Health Thingie) and while I'm still not perfect, darn it the plot bunnies were practically rabid needing to get out. Anyway, don't fret. I'm not dying or anything. You don't need to start a 'save MsB' GoFundMe campaign but if you want to donate to a no-kill animal shelter, that'd be really cool. Hugs, MsB

Chapter 13

 

  
**Night Court**

 

It's nearly eleven when we're done playing question and answer with Davis. I didn't care much for the guy before I met him and now that I've heard his anti-mutant spiel in person, I'm hoping he runs into a bunch of them in lockup. The guard leads us out of the visitors rooms and I head for the elevators. While I'm not exactly eager to waste time repeating everything I learned to Barnes and Magneto, I'm starting to think having them as back up on this case isn't a bad idea.

Murdock isn't behind me.

"Aren't you coming?" I ask.

"I can't." He rubs his thumb along the case of his phone. "They're going to need Davis' testimony to bring down the Friends of Humanity, which means I've got less than two hours to find someone at the DA's office who'll listen to what I have to say and make an offer."

I stare at him. "But --"

"He's my client, thanks to you," Murdock cuts me off. "It's not the first time I've defended someone who was guilty or who I didn't like in order to get at a bigger fish. I suspect it won't be the last. If I didn't intend to do my job, I wouldn't have agreed to come with you. Besides, I told Davis I'm representing him and I'm bound by the New York State Code of Professional Conduct to do that zealously and to the best of my ability."

"You're not going to get paid."

"I didn't think I would." He cocks his head slightly in my direction. "If you're feeling particularly guilty about it, you can give me a break on your next invoice."

"I'm not getting paid either," I tell him. "Thanks to Barnes, I'm working my ass off and not earning a fucking dime."

Murdock smirks at me.

"What?"

"If I have to tell you, you're not a very good detective, Jessica and I think you're one of the best, which means you're in denial." With that, the fucker turns his back to me and tells his phone to call Foggy Nelson. Conversation over.

I consider flipping him off. He'd know if I did. There's just no point. He's not the asshole in this scenario. The asshole is me, dragging him into one of Barnes' never-ending black holes and making him represent a piece of shit like Davis. And I know he's going to give the guy the best defense possible. For the life of me, I can't figure out why Murdock bothers with the mask. He's a hero without it.

And, damn it, he's getting a break on his next invoice.

As for Barnes, I'll just keep adding it to his ever-growing tab. Somebody's bound to wreck my apartment again and he's pretty handy with spackle.

 

 

000000000000

 

 

**Breaking, Entering and Bucky Barnes**

 

Barnes knows he should be grateful that Magneto's flight from Manhattan to fucking Ohio goes quickly, that Magneto doesn't tire the way Jones does but it's the in-flight _conversation_  that galls him. As in, the man wants a conversation. Barnes doesn't. Not that it matters.

"Have you considered how you'll deal with the children?" Magneto asks somewhere west of Pittsburgh.

"Yeah," Barnes says tersely, hoping that ends the discussion.

Unfortunately, it doesn't. "Tommy has no training --"

"I've been training him."

"Combat training," Magneto counters. "I sincerely hope we don't arrive to find the children in the middle of combat."

"JARVIS killed a silent alarm," Barnes tells him. "It wasn't directed to the cops. He's tracing the signal but it's going through multiple routers. Probably, it's just going to Davis' cell phone. Either way, unless the kids are careless enough to get spotted, the only trouble they're going to be in is with me."

"And how pray tell do you intend to impart such a valuable lesson?"

"I'm not taking a belt to their backsides, if that's what you're getting at," Barnes huffs.

"Of course not. I didn't take you for a barbarian," Magneto sniffs before going on. "Charles gives his children a stern lecture when they misbehave. I always preferred putting the fear of the Almighty into them myself." He turns to glance at Barnes. "What's your preference?"

"Get us there and you'll find out."

"We are 'there'," Magneto says, setting them down in the parking lot of a squat four story apartment building. It's a perfect landing, the complete opposite of one of Jones' spectacularly graceless near-crashes.

Barnes thinks he'd rather crash-land, if only because he prefers Jones' company.

The building is a run-down residential motel with external staircases on either end and covered walkways leading to each of the units. None of the cars in the parking lot are new and the more than half of the security lights are burned out. Barnes clocks the locations of the security cameras, noting that most are useless thanks to the burnt out lights.

Because it's nearly two in the morning, most of the apartments are dark. Barnes instantly discounts the handful of apartments that have their lights on because there's no way the kids would be _that_  stupid and instead looks for the tell-tale flicker of a flashlight. He finds it on the third floor, rear. With a dismissive wave, he instructs Magneto, "Stay here and cover me."

Naturally, Magneto ignores the instruction completely. Instead, he lifts them both into the air once more to deposit them on walkway outside of Davis' apartment. "I wouldn't dream of missing this."

Barnes weighs the need for a lift home against the urge to flip the man off. Better judgment wins. Damn it. He crouches in front of the door, scowling when he sees the wiring that's clearly hooked into whatever additional security Davis put in place. He reaches into his pocket for his Swiss Army knife but Magneto clears his throat softly.

"I've taken care of it." He doesn't even bother looking smug as he adds, "And the building's pathetic attempt at security."

The door is unlocked and Barnes doesn't want to know whether that's because of the kids or Magneto. Instead, he turns the knob and soundlessly opens the door to answer Magneto's question.

Barnes fires a silenced bullet that whizzes past Tommy's ear to embed itself in the wall. It has exactly the effect he was hoping for. From everyone. Magneto included.

"I was always a fear-of-God type of guy," Barnes tells Magneto with a smirk, holstering the gun. "Sometimes, it's the only way to get through."

Tommy and Rikki are gaping at him.

The apartment looks like a whirlwind named Tommy's gone through it.

Magneto closes the door and regards the kids, hands on hips. "Have you two any idea how much trouble --?"

"Did you two even bother looking for booby traps or silent alarms before barging in here?" Barnes cuts him off.

Rikki's eyes go wide. A pair of protective goggles is perched on her head and the effect is almost comical. Almost. "B-booby traps?"

"You know how many apartments just like this I've rigged to explode when someone opens the door?" Barnes demands and then, because he likes to be thorough, he asks, "Where's Petey?"

"Home," Tommy says, eyes ticking back to the bullet hole in the wall. "I can't believe you _shot_  at me."

"I can't believe neither of you was paying attention to your surroundings," Barnes retorts, "so I guess we're even." It's a struggle to sound calmer than he feels. "Erik, show the kids the hidden cameras."

"With pleasure, James." Ever the show off, Magneto gestures grandly and small cameras emerge from their hiding places in light fixtures, the bookcase and a potted plant to hover in front of Tommy and Rikki before dropping at their feet.

"Look at this fucking mess," Barnes growls. "There's a difference between searching a place and tossing it. How the hell do you expect to find anything this way?"

Rikki's lower lip quivers as she looks up at him. "We were trying to help --"

"This isn't helping," Barnes says, softening his tone. He has to ignore how she looks like she might cry if he keeps yelling or that she's fucking adorable in her borrowed Bucky Barnes outfit. There's a lesson to be taught here. Damn it. "What if you got caught? What if it wasn't the cops who caught you? What if it was Friends of Humanity?"

"They couldn't catch me," Tommy sniffs indignantly. "I'm the fastest thing on two legs."

Barnes doesn't even let him finish the sentence. He kicks out, knocking Tommy onto his ass and wraps his cybernetic hand around the boy's throat, squeezing lightly for emphasis because Tommy has to learn this very important lesson _now_. Before he gets himself or someone else hurt or killed. "Fast isn't everything."

Tommy stares up at him, dazed and wide-eyed. "How did you do that?"

"Training." Barnes lets go of him. He cuts his eyes to Rikki. "And you... You've got absolutely no business putting on a uniform and going out into the field on an op like this. Sneaking around and following your brother is one thing. You think you could follow  _me_  without me noticing?"

There's a moment where it looks like Rikki is going to cry but then she sucks in a breath and lets loose the way only a Barnes girl could. With righteous fury. "Then _teach_  me! I'm right here! Show me what I'm supposed to do instead of telling me how much I suck!"

"Okay, Bucky," Barnes says, crooking a finger at her. Really, what choice does he have other than to teach her? She's a Barnes and she's just proven she's every bit as stubborn as the woman she's named for. "C'mere."

"Nomad," she corrects him. "Bucky is you and I'm not you."

"Nomad," Barnes repeats, pulling out his set of lock picks and thinking how much he likes the name. Reaching over, he unsnaps the compartment on her belt where he vaguely remembers carrying them when he wore that uniform and drops the picks in. "The first thing you need are the tools for the job." He waves his Swiss Army knife under her nose and tucks that into another compartment. With a grin, he pulls the ceramic knife from his boot and carefully slides it into hers. "Those are the basics that'll get you in and out of most situations."

"You're gonna teach me, too, right?" Tommy asks.

"I'm gonna teach all of you," Barnes says, shooting a pointed look in Magneto's direction. "First lesson, how to conduct a thorough search while your backup keeps watch. That's you, Erik."

"I shall do my utmost," Magneto says dryly. It's the verbal equivalent of him flipping Barnes off.

Barnes thinks Jones would be proud and then he begins his lesson.

 

 

000000000000000000

 

 

  
**Breaking, Entering and Uncle Bucky**

 

  
"Reach inside."

It's not punishment. Rikki knows it's not. She's watched enough bad television to know that people hide things in their toilet tanks. The thing is, the idea of sticking her hand in there is _gross_ , no matter how clean Uncle Bucky swears it is. She screws up her face and her courage and reaches in. Holy crap! The water is cold!

"Attagirl," Uncle Bucky praises her. "Now run your hand along the inside."

She's going to wash her hand in the hottest water possible after this. And then her fingers brush a small Ziploc bag. "Ohmigod! I found something!"

"Don't pull it out," Uncle Bucky warns, clamping his hand over her wrist. "Remember what I said about booby traps." He leans over her and peers into the tank. "Okay. Lift it out. Slowly."

Rikki's heart is pounding in her chest as she peels the duct tape from the side of the toilet tank and lifts the baggie out. Inside the baggie is another one and inside _that_  is a thumb drive.

Uncle Bucky takes the thumb drive and pockets it. "Where do you think you should look next?"

"But --"

"Plenty more hiding places in the bathroom," he lectures, kneeling in front of the sink and turning off the water. "Give me that Swiss Army knife."

Rikki hands it over and watches as he goes to work on the pipes.

"This is the trap," Uncle Bucky explains. "Lose a ring down the sink, it ends up here. Want to hide something? It's the perfect place."

She looks over at Tommy, who's still recovering from his search of the kitchen trash. Davis forgot to take it out before leaving home and what was in the trash can was _nasty_. Tommy's face is still as green as his Speed suit.

"C'mere, Nomad. You get to do the honors." Uncle Bucky pulls off the section of pipe and holds it out to her. "Take a look in there."

Rikki thinks she might be sick. "What is that!?"

"The usual stuff that gets washed down a sink," he shrugs, like he doesn't realize how disgusting the mass of gunk is that's sitting in the pipe. "Hair, whatever. Don't get squeamish on me now, Nomad."

Squeamish? Rikki is _beyond_  squeamish. She's completely grossed out! And if she touches that, she's definitely going to puke.

And now she's sure Uncle Bucky is punishing her.

This must be what Tommy means by the Ol' Parker Luck and how it's contagious.

God only knows what would have happened if Peter came along.

 

 

 

 


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

 

**Lessons Learned**

 

Tommy's learned his lesson about disobeying Bucky and sneaking out of the house. He's also learned more than a few things he _never_  wanted to know, like how much disgusting stuff ends up under and behind the stove and the refrigerator. Don't even get him started about the dead bugs in the light fixtures -- and not the mechanical kind, either.

For the past couple of hours, Tommy has learned about every possible hiding place in every possible location. He's pulled up carpeting, removed switch plates, pulled out drawers, gone through kitchen cabinets, and even boxes of cereal. Davis' apartment has been completely gone through. He hopes.

Somewhere in between two in the morning and the box of Cap'n Crunch, Rikki fell asleep. Bucky is holding her in his arms because the sofa and bed have been torn to shreds. Her head is pillowed against his chest and for every stern look Bucky throws in Tommy's direction, there's a soft, goofy look directed at Rikki.

Even Magneto is giving Rikki those kind of looks. Tommy thinks Magneto already considers her a grandkid too. He's going to be in for a rude awakening when Bucky figures that out.

"I, uh, I think I'm done," Tommy yawns. It's almost four am and the trip to Ohio, along with the humiliation of being punished is catching up to him. His vision is starting to blur and his muscles ache. Also, he's hungry and sticking his filthy hands into boxes of cereal hasn't helped.

Bucky looks slowly around the apartment, gaze resting on the now-empty box of cereal in front of Tommy. "You find anything?"

"No," Tommy answers uncertainly. Every time he's said it so far, Bucky's come up with yet another place to search. And Tommy has been absolutely forbidden from using his speed to do it.

There's a long pause and then Bucky says, "You're done. Go home and catch some sleep. You've got school in four hours."

"But ---"

"But?" Bucky echoes, raising an eyebrow in silent challenge.

Tommy swallows hard and decides to fight the battle anyway. "I thought maybe I could skip first period."

"You thought wrong," Bucky says flatly. His eyes cut to Magneto. "You mind walking him to school in the morning? Make sure he goes?"

Magneto smiles at him. "It would be my pleasure, James."

Bucky smiles too. It's not a pleasant smile. "Go on, Speed. Run along home. Erik'll be there when you wake up."

"Run along? H-he's not flying us home?" Tommy sputters.

"He's not flying _you_  home," Bucky corrects him. "You ran here, you can run back."

Tommy thinks fast. "What about Rikki?"

"Since I can't trust you to keep an eye on her, I'll do it myself."

"Coming here was _her_  idea," Tommy grumbles.

"And who helped her carry it out, punk?" Bucky shoots back. Rikki, unsurprisingly, doesn't wake up to help take the blame. "It ain't getting any earlier. The longer you keep standing here and arguing with me, the less sleep you're gonna get."

Tommy knows that Bucky wants him to apologize. Tommy knows he _should_  apologize. And he will. Just not in front of Magneto.

So he runs.

He's pretty sure he's back in Queens before Bucky is finished swearing a blue streak.

 

00000000000000000000

 

  
**Breaking, Entering and the Barnes Family**

 

 

I've just fallen asleep when I hear my door close and lock. Since I didn't hear it open and since a burglar wouldn't lock up after himself, I know who's just broken in. Still, this is New York and more, it's Hell's Kitchen so I drag my tired ass out of bed to make sure that it's Barnes standing in my living room-slash-office.

Of course it's him but he's not with Magneto.

He's got his great grand-niece in his arms and she's dead to the world, snoring softly with her face pressed up against his chest. The kid is dressed head-to-toe in a Bucky Barnes costume, which probably explains why he's still holding her instead of setting her down on the couch.

Probably being the operative word.

Barnes takes a step towards my bedroom with his precious cargo and I block his way, pointing to the sofa, where I've set out a blanket and pillows with the stupid idea that Magneto was probably going to end up crashing here. Shaking his head, Barnes takes another step forward.

I flip him off and let him pass. Then I watch as he sets the kid down, unlaces her boots and slips them off without waking her. Barnes eases the jacket off of her and removes the goggles from on top of her head. Rikki doesn't stir, which is either a testament to how sneaky Barnes is or how tired the kid is. He tugs the blanket up over her and, sparing a moment to glance back at me, leans down to kiss her forehead.

It's only after he shuts the door and takes half a dozen paces into the living room that Barnes says, "The kid's exhausted."

"Maybe you should have left her in fucking Queens," I shrug.

"Tried," he shrugs back. "It didn't stick."

"What do you mean, it didn't stick?!"

"Shh!"

"Don't tell me to shush in my own goddamned apartment, Barn ---mmmffff!"

Barnes has his hand clapped over my mouth before I can finish the sentence. "Shut up, goddammit! The kid needs her sleep!" He eyes me in warning. "And don't even think about kneeing me in the balls, Jones."

Too late. I thought about it. Lucky for Barnes, I don't follow through.

He takes his hand away, blows out a weary sigh and flops down onto my sofa. "Didn't you get the note?"

"What note?"

"Magneto said --" Barnes cuts himself off and sighs again. "Never mind. Tommy and Rikki thought it'd be a good idea to go to fucking Ohio and toss Davis' apartment."

Just as I'm about to concede that maybe it's not such a bad idea, I realize who we're talking about. Tommy. The kid could run to fucking _China_  in the time it takes for me to walk to my bathroom. No wonder Barnes is worn out. Not from the physical exertion, of course. From worrying about the kids. "Did they find anything?"

He looks up at me and grins. "Eventually, yeah."

I stare at him. "You didn't --"

"I did," Barnes says. "I taught them to search a place _exactly_  the way you taught me, sink traps, garbage, behind the fridge, the whole shebang."

"Which of them puked first?"

"Neither but they came close." He leans back and winks at me. "It'll be a long time before either of 'em thinks about not doing as they're told again."

"Are they still speaking to you?"

"They're fucking _terrified_  of me now."

"Rikki was completely petrified with fear, passed out in your arms."

There's a goofy look that crosses Barnes' face for a fraction of second before it vanishes. "The kid hasn't gotten a good night's sleep in days. She almost fell asleep standing up."

"You know you can't keep her, right?" I say carefully. "She has parents who are probably going crazy with worry. Parents who'd flip the fuck out and come after you with pitchforks if they saw her dressed up like you and running around playing superhero."

"Pitchforks? What am I, Frankenstein?" He winces. "Don't answer that."

"Walked right into it, Barnes."

A gleaming metal finger flips me off. "How was Jersey City?"

"I went to the Tombs --"

"And then you went to Davis' motel room in Jersey City so you could get there before the cops," Barnes interrupts me, looking smug.

It pisses me off that he either knows me too well or I'm becoming fucking predictable. "You first. What'd the kids dig up?"

He reaches into his jacket and produces a small Baggie from its depths that he tosses to me. "Thumb drive. Your turn."

I set the thumb drive down on my desk and pull out my cell phone. "First off, Murdock was a rock star. He got me a peek at Davis' personal items and Petey was right. There was a business card for FOH."

"Of course Petey was right," Barnes says, offended. "If the kid didn't have an eidetic memory before he got his powers, he's got one now. Just like the rest of us super soldiers." He eyes me, waiting for me to confirm or deny that my memory, like the rest of me, is enhanced somehow.

Like that's going to happen. "I've got Desmond Daniels' private phone number and JARVIS is setting up a wiretap." It's my turn to eye Barnes and wait to see if he wastes time asking if I've got JARVIS tracking Daniels' location.

Barnes crosses one leg over the other and for a second, his jeans fight to contain those bulging thigh muscles that I pretend not to notice. "Uh huh. What else, Jones?"

"He left his laptop behind. It's password protected, so --"

"You're lucky Stark doesn't bill you for using JARVIS. You'd owe him a fucking fortune."

"If he did, I could pay him from the fucking fortune you owe me for dealing with all _your_  bullshit," I shoot back. "Your bullshit is becoming my fucking _career_ , Barnes."

"Becoming?" He clucks softly. "I should be your whole goddamn life by now."

We look at each other and say it almost in unison. "Fuckin' HYDRA."

It's official. I've become fucking predictable.

 

  
0000000000000000000000

 

 

**Breakfast of Champions**

 

  
May supposes she should be used to superhero shenanigans by now. The fact is, she will never be used to them. So when Tommy lurches into the kitchen in what looks like slow motion and with bags under his eyes, she knows he was up to no good last night.

Peter, on the other hand, bounces into the kitchen looking refreshed, even if his hair is its usual unruly self. "G'morning, Aunt May," he chirps. "Morning, Tommy!"

Tommy's response is a grunt.

Erik strolls into the kitchen, yawning widely. "Good morning, all." He stares hard at Tommy. "You're going to be late for school if you don't speed it up, young man."

The smile slides from Peter's face. "Y-you're not walking us, are you?"

"Indeed I am," Erik says through another yawn. "I made a promise to your papa that I would do so since he cannot be here."

Tommy emits another grunt and pulls a face at the mention of Bucky.

May sets her mug of coffee down, folds her arms over her chest and cuts her eyes from Tommy to Erik. Peter, she's certain, had nothing to do with whatever happened. "What did he do, Erik?"

"Tommy took Rikki on a little breaking-and-entering excursion to Ohio last night," Erik tells her. "James and I went after them, naturally and James has already meted out punishment."

"Oh he has, has he?" May frowns. "Tommy, where's Rikki?"

"With Bucky."

"And where is Bucky?"

"With Jones."

"What time did you get in?" She hates this. Truly hates it. But it has to be done.

"Little after four." Tommy looks at her hopefully, like she might tell him to stay home and get some sleep.

May digs her nails into the palm of her hand because she's this close to telling him to go back to bed. "Well, I don't want to hear a word about you falling asleep in class, young man. You're grounded for a week as it is and I'm sure we'd both rather I don't have to extend the time."

"Grounded?" Tommy is wide-awake now. "Bucky punished me but good --"

"And now _I'm_ punishing you," May scolds him.

"But he _shot_  at me!"

Erik makes the barest of nods, telling May that Tommy is not making that up. She promises herself to call Bucky on the way to work to ask about _that_  and explain why shooting at the children is not an effective form of discipline.

Sensing his advantage, Tommy goes for the win. "He made me dig in the garbage and in yucky pipes and --"

"And I want to be sure you've learned your lesson," May cuts him off. "Sneaking out of the house is one thing and that's bad enough with all these anti-mutant maniacs running around but you took Rikki with you to do something illegal! She's a fourteen year old _child_  who just spent two days living on the streets! Her parents are worried sick! _I'm_  worried sick every time you step out that door because you're reckless and there are people out there who are looking for an excuse to hurt you and you've been hurt enough!" She claps a hand over her mouth before she can make the poor boy feel worse than he obviously does.

"I-I'm sorry," Tommy says and then adds softly, "Mom."

May looks at him and her throat suddenly feels tight.

He raises his chin and says defensively, "You're more of a mom to me than my own mom ever was. Y-you listen. A-and you _care_. You don't think I'm stupid --"

"You're _not_  stupid," May argues. "In fact, you're probably so brilliant they can't measure it."

"My parents thought I was stupid. The doctors --"

"Diagnosed you with ADHD and they were wrong. Your brain processes information faster, not differently. Erik and I have been talking and we're supposed to meet Professor Xavier to talk about techniques that will help you succeed in school." May winces inwardly. That was something she wasn't planning on mentioning unless there was good news.

Tommy sniffles and wipes at his eyes. "See? _Nobody's_  ever cared that much about me."

"Well, I do." She reaches out to tousle his hair. "But you're still grounded and if you don't get a move on, you're going to be late. Go on. I'll have a list of extra chores for you to do -- no powers."

The look he gives her is shy. "C-can I call you 'mom'?"

"Oh, sweetheart," May sighs, throwing her arms around him and already planning the note she's going to have to write for both of her boys, "Nothing would make me happier."

"I'm happy," Peter says with a bright smile. "I'm not grounded for a change."

"Give it time, baby bro," Tommy shoots back.

May eyes Erik and decides to tease him. "They'll call you 'grandpa' by Friday."

"I have no doubt," he says solemnly.

Somehow, suddenly, neither does May.

 

 

 


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

 

  
**Breakfast** **with** **Barnes**

 

Barnes is nothing if not a creature of his conditioning and he's recently conditioned himself to wake up, make sure Petey -- and now Tommy -- eat breakfast and get to school not only on time, but in one piece. So here he is, with a little over three hours of sleep and wide awake while Jones is passed out on her lumpy couch. He peeks into the bedroom to confirm that Rikki is still tucked in and sound asleep. Barnes watches her for a while, marveling that Rikki is even _possible_ , let alone here with him before he realizes that he's staring and being a bit of a creeper, as the kids would say. Reluctantly, he backs out and shuts the bedroom door.

He's already done his security checks and he considers checking to see what JARVIS has managed to decrypt but unlike everyone else around him, he understands the word 'teamwork.' And since he understands it and since Jones' refrigerator is, as always, empty, Barnes makes the decision to get breakfast.

He's just left Jones' building when Aunt May calls.

"Did you shoot at Tommy?" Aunt May asks without preamble.

Shit.

Even though the Winter Soldier was not allowed to fail, Barnes knows a no-win scenario when he sees one. And he walked right into this one with his showing off for and shutting up of Magneto.

It was worth it.

Barnes bites back a sigh and prepares to take his lumps.

 

0000000000

 

 **Opposite** **Day**

 

Mary Jane takes in the exhausted faces of Magneto and Tommy and Peter's almost jubilant expression as they trudge up to the school gates and rolls her eyes. "What happened to the two of you?"

"Ohio," Tommy yawns, making a face.

"Ohio?" Mary Jane echoes.

"Ohio," Peter confirms. "Tommy took a trip there with Rikki last night to see if they could find clues and now he's in trouble with both Bucky and Aunt May."

"He is also in trouble with me," Magneto adds.

Mary Jane narrows her eyes at Peter. "You let Tommy go by _himself_?!"

"I didn't _let_  him --"

"You didn't help him, either!"

"Because I was tired!"

"Because you didn't want to get in trouble," Mary Jane counters. "I'll bet Bucky and Aunt May wouldn't have been as hard on Tommy if you'd been there."

Peter gapes at her. "They weren't hard on him at all!"

Tommy snorts. "Bucky shot at me."

It's Peter's turn to roll his eyes. "Bucky wouldn't do that."

"He did," Tommy insists and then scowls at Peter. "Are you calling me a liar?" He turns to Magneto. "Hey, Grandpa, did Bucky shoot at me or what?"

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Peter groans before Magneto can answer. "Seriously? You're calling him 'grandpa' now? You think that and calling Aunt May 'mom' is going to get you out of being grounded?"

Tommy's jaw clenches. "Dude, I'm telling you Bucky _shot_  at me and yeah, I'm trying out the 'grandpa' thing. Maybe you should take the stick out of your ass and try it, too. And while you're at it, you should call Bucky 'dad' before he dumps your ungrateful, whiny ass for Rikki."

Peter waves him off. "Forget it, Tommy. You're not wrecking my good mood with your mutant mind games. I'm not in trouble for once and I plan on enjoying _every_ _second_  of it."

"Yeah? Well, how come Bucky kept Rikki with him instead of sending her home?" Tommy persists.

The smile on Peter's face falters.

"My own parents turned on me like that." Tommy snaps his fingers. "If it happened to me, it could happen to you, Petey. If you saw the way Bucky was fawning over that kid --"

"Cut it out," Mary Jane scolds him. She cuts her eyes to Magneto, wondering why he's let this conversation get so out of hand and realizes that he's actually managed to doze off _standing_ _up_. The great mutant Master of Magnetism. Defeated by exhaustion caused by his two teenage grandchildren. "Erik, wake up."

" _Vas_?" He blinks owlishly down at her.

"You fell asleep."

"And missed Peter calling you 'grandpa'," Tommy puts in with a smirk.

"I did not!" Peter protests hotly and when he sees the look of disappointment and hurt that quickly crosses Magneto's face, he hastily adds, "Because _I_  wasn't trying to manipulate you. Unlike some people around here."

Magneto heaves a sigh that's so weary that Mary Jane actually feels it. "Boys, if you don't cease this pointless bickering, I'll soundly thrash the both of you and I highly doubt neither Sergeant Barnes nor May would condemn my actions."

Before Peter or Tommy can open their mouths, Kong comes running up and breathlessly announces, "I've got it!"

"Got what?" Peter asks.

"The name of the guy who's recruiting for Friends of Humanity," Kong says proudly. "Charlie Weiderman's cousin's brother is friends with a guy who goes to ESU and there's a guy in _his_  dorm who was bragging about the bombing last night and said he was part of --"

"Young man," Magneto interrupts, "Do you have a shred of proof to support this fantastic theory of yours?"

Kong smiles at him. "I've got an address."

The bell for first period rings but nobody moves.

They all look at Magneto.

Magneto scrubs a hand over his face. He looks at each of them in turn. "You had all better pray to whatever deity you worship that Dean Reynolds will accept an absence note from me tomorrow."

 

00000000000000000

 

 **Breakfast** **with** **Champions**

 

  
"Rikki."

Her name is whispered so softly that she ignores it the first two times. By the third time when the whispering is accompanied by a poke, she hisses, "Fuck off, John. 'M trying to sleep."

There's a snort of laughter to her right that definitely is _not_  John's.

Rikki's eyes fly open and she sees Uncle Bucky grinning down at her. "Oh shit," she groans and when she realizes she just compounded the situation by swearing a _second_  time, she pulls the sheets over her face, completely mortified.

Uncle Bucky tugs the sheets back down so he can look her in the eyes. "Does your great grandmother know you've got a mouth like a Marine?"

She can feel her face burning as she blushes. "Uh...no?"

He snorts another laugh and tousles her hair. "It'll be our little secret, then. Just watch it in front of Jones. She's got delicate sensibilities."

"Jones?" Rikki asks. She feels like she's in a whole other conversation.

"This is her apartment."

Rikki's mouth drops open when she realizes that she's spent the night in Jessica Jones' bed. The same bed where Jessica Jones and Uncle Bucky -- Yikes! She can't get out of that bed fast enough now and she gets so tangled up in the sheets that it's only thanks to Uncle Bucky that she doesn't fall face first onto the floor.

"Easy there." He hooks a hand under each of her arms and sets her on her feet. "The reason I came to wake you up is I got breakfast and I figured you'd want a crack at it before Jones ate everything. She's got an enhanced metabolism --"

"I do not!" Jones calls from the other room.

"And enhanced hearing," Uncle Bucky adds with a smirk.

"I do not!"

Uncle Bucky winks at Rikki and then hands her a couple of shopping bags. "Got you some toiletries and a change of clothes. Can't have you running around and blowing your secret identity on the first day, right Nomad?"

Rikki glances over at the clock next to the bed and sees it's only a little after eight thirty in the morning. She looks down at the shopping bag full of clothes. "You didn't steal these, did you?"

He makes a face. "If I was gonna steal you clothes, Forever 21 would be the last place I'd steal 'em from and it's the last time I take advice from Jones on where to get you stuff. No, they open at eight and it took me almost twenty minutes to find you something decent."

"A whole twenty minutes, huh?" Jones is in the doorway now. "I guess you covered your eyes and ran right past the lingerie, Barnes."

Uncle Bucky turns and scowls at her. "Have you seen some of the clothes in there? Those are for _kids_  for God's sake --"

"Kids and bored housewives from Jersey, Barnes. They cater to a 'diverse' clientele." Jones makes air quotes and smirks at him and then directs her attention to Rikki. "Barnes didn't want you borrowing anything from my wardrobe."

"It wouldn't fit," Uncle Bucky argues. "She's little!"

"I am _not_!" Rikki protests.

Uncle Bucky raises an eyebrow at her. "You're what? Five foot nothin'? A hundred pounds soaking wet?"

"I'm five foot two! And I'm still growing!"

"And you're swimming in your borrowed Bucky suit." He nods at the cargo pants which are being held up by a belt and rolled up at the bottom more than a few times. "Not that Petey's exactly big for his age, either."

"You love that she's dressed up like you," Jones says.

Uncle Bucky shrugs. "She looks cute."

"Cute?" Rikki echoes in disbelief. "I'm not trying to be cute! I'm trying to be --"

"Until you're trained," he cuts her off, "all you are is cute."

"Barnes, you're not training her," Jones says firmly, folding her arms over her chest and shooting a look at Uncle Bucky. "We talked about this. Pitchforks, remember?"

"As long as she's here with me, I'm teaching her." Uncle Bucky eyes Jones. "Just like I've been teaching you. For all the good it's done. You still can't land worth a damn."

Whatever retort Jones was going to make is lost as the apartment door opens and Magneto barges in, followed by Peter, Tommy, Mary Jane and Kong. He waves his hand and the door slams shut behind him.

"What are you doing!? It's a _school_ _day_!" Uncle Bucky snarls, hands curled into fists at his side.

"Charlie Weiderman's cousin's brother is friends with a guy who goes to ESU," Kong begins, "and there's a guy in _his_  dorm who was bragging about the bombing last night and said he was in charge of recruiting people for Friends of Humanity."

Uncle Bucky stares hard at Kong and Rikki can hear mechanical sounds coming from under his sleeve. "Who the hell is Charlie Weiderman?"

"He's an even bigger loser than Peter," Tommy says. "They call him Whiney-Man."

Uncle Bucky stares at Magneto in disbelief. "And you went along with this?"

"If indeed this young man is conducting recruitment," Magneto says, "we'll need Peter and Kong to go in and gather intelligence as to your great grand-nephew's location and any plans that Desmond Daniels may be preparing to carry out."

"He's making sense," Jones tells Uncle Bucky. "Except for the part where he let the kids cut school."

Tommy manages to look like the picture of innocence as he says, "Grandpa is going to write notes for us all."

That starts a new round of bickering.

Rikki sidles up to Mary Jane. "Is it always like this?"

"This?" Mary Jane answers. "This is tame compared to how it gets."

"Welcome to the family -- and the Ol' Parker Luck," Peter says.

Oy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	16. Chapter 16

  
Chapter 16

 

 

 

**AKA Taking Charge of a Shitty Situation**

  


 

While Barnes scolds the kids for their poor life choices such as cutting school and thinking an absence note written by Magneto is a good idea, I cut my eyes over to the mutant in question. His eyelids are drooping dangerously but they fly open when I elbow him sharply in the ribs.

I gesture for Magneto to follow me into the bedroom and he actually does it, looking at me expectantly until I speak. "If you weren't so fucking exhausted, you might have realized that Charlie Weiderman's cousin's brother is still Charlie Weiderman's cousin."

Magneto swears softly in German.

"And it might have occurred to you to use JARVIS to research the address instead of leading a parade of teenage spazzes to my door so _I_  have to do the fucking research _and_  entertain a bunch of spazzes, both teenage and magnetized."

More German swearing follows.

"Look at you," I go on, channeling my inner Trish. Well, as much of my inner Trish as I'm capable of, anyway. "You're so fucking tired you can hardly stand up."

"I don't recall teenagers being so exhausting any of the times I taught at Charles' school," he admits, barely stifling a yawn.

"Maybe," I suggest, "Chuck had the kids mind-controlled so they weren't such pains in your ass."

Magneto blinks at me and then barks a laugh. "If you knew him as I do, you would agree such a thing would not be outside the realm of possibility."

"Know what else isn't outside the realm of possibility?" I yank back the sheets and point at my bed. "You, catching a quick nap. Go on. We can't have the Asshole of Magnetism bamboozled by a bunch of fifteen year olds again."

"But --"

"There's at least a good hour of research and planning ahead," I cut him off. "I want to learn everything I can about that address and the guy in the ESU dorms, if we can even figure out his name from the half-assed pile of bullshit Kong just threw at me."

Nodding his acquiescence, Magneto toes off his boots and shrugs out of his sweater. He's wearing a black T-shirt underneath and it's filled out with an impressive set of muscles for a guy his age. Hell, the asshole actually has a fucking six pack.

I can't help but think May Parker is going to be a lucky middle-aged woman if she ever decides to go for it.

Magneto sits on the edge of my bed and eyes me. "You'll wake me, yes?"

"Go the fuck to sleep."

"You'll wake me," he repeats but this time it's not a question.

I wonder if he'd sound so fucking imperious if he knew Ruben was murdered right where he's about to take a nap. Of course I flip him off and _I_  repeat, "Go the fuck to sleep." Then I punctuate the sentence with, "Asshole."

Backing out of my bedroom, Barnes is still continuing his lecture about the importance of not missing school. Tommy isn't paying attention. He's passed out on my couch. When the hell did my apartment become the low-budget Avengers Tower? 'Why' is an easier question to answer. Barnes.

"Shut the fuck up," I interrupt him.

He shuts the fuck up, folding his arms across his chest. The fabric of his shirt sleeves strain to contain the bulging muscles and metal but eventually they win the battle. Barely.

I consider mirroring his pose but I'm in a sleeveless tank top and I'm also not wearing a bra. "They cut school. It's done. You yelled. They get it. Cutting school is bad. Move the fuck on."

Barnes eyes me but doesn't say a word.

The kids don't either but I can tell they're waiting to see what happens next.

"Mary Jane, Kong, Rikki and I are going to do some digging," I tell him. "You and Petey are going to do recon at that address." Jesus Christ. I just used the word 'recon' in a fucking sentence. It's official. Hanging around with Barnes is turning me into an asshole who speaks in military jargon. And since I'm already that asshole I add, "Recon only. Do not engage. Got me, Barnes?"

He pulls himself to attention and snaps off a crisp salute.

"I've got a camera," Petey starts to tell me.

"We _all_  have cameras," I cut him off. "Just make sure you hold your phone horizontally, not vertically if you shoot video. Anything else makes me fucking crazy."

Petey scowls at me and pulls an honest to God camera out of his backpack. "I take photos for the Bugle. Professional ones."

"Let me see that." I take the camera from him and inspect it. As cameras go, it's not top of the line but it's definitely professional quality. "You're going to need better lenses for surveillance. Use mine." I open my desk drawer and hand the case to him. "I'm not going to tell you to be careful with it."

"If things get hairy, I'll web it someplace safe," Petey promises me before ducking into my bathroom to put his Spidey suit on.

The rest of the kids look expectantly at me.

I cut my eyes to Barnes even though I can pretty much guess why they're staring at me.

He smirks at me. "They're waiting for your orders, fearless leader."

I make a mental note to be a little less of a dick to Stevie the next time a see him now that I'm getting a taste of what he has to put up with. And then I start handing out orders.

 

  
000000000

 

 **Rush** **Hour**

 

The view from the roof of Jessica Jones' apartment building isn't that impressive. It's only a twelve-story building and the view is mostly obscured by the taller, newer buildings in Hell's Kitchen and Times Square. Peter needs those new, tall buildings to build the momentum to swing high and fast through the man-made canyons of New York City and he loves doing it at breakneck speeds, following and defying the laws of physics as he pleases. That's one of the reasons he doesn't like to bring passengers. Another reason is the Ol' Parker Luck, as in bad guys who also like to play high above the city. Yet another reason is his passengers tossing their cookies, if not all over him, then all over the people below as he twists, flips and slingshots himself along.

Bucky however is the ideal passenger. He angles his body in perfect synch with Peter as they swing, keeping their momentum smooth and true, never once complaining even if Peter takes a turn a little too sharply or plays daredevil once too often.

They're above Sutton Place far too soon and Peter circles the block twice before landing atop 2 Sutton Place South, one of the tallest buildings in the neighborhood and one which gives them the perfect view of townhouse that is about to be the object of their surveillance. 2 Sutton Place South is a nineteen story building, built shortly before Bucky went off to war. Peter especially loves the roof garden. He's made use of it more than once in his travels and during a particularly hairy misunderstanding with Moon Knight.

Bucky makes a show of looking around, nods his approval then asks, "Why this building and not that glass monstrosity over there?"

That 'glass monstrosity' is 2 Sutton Place North, a tall, modern, shiny glass tower. Peter looks over at it before answering, "There's more cover here, even though the other building is taller. The reflective surface could give us away and also the sun is behind us up here."

"And why is that important?" Bucky quizzes him.

"Cover and also so it doesn't reflect off the lenses of the camera," Peter answers dutifully and then adds, just to show off a little, "Jones' camera has non-reflective lenses though."

That earns him a beaming smile of approval. "A hundred points for Gryffindor."

Peter grins back under his mask. "I've missed this. You know, just us. Doing stuff."

"It's gotten crowded and complicated in our lives," Bucky agrees. "But it's a good kind of crowded and complicated." He catches Peter's hand before Peter can open the camera case and presses something into it. "Try this first."

'This' is a cylindrical object that Peter turns over in his gloved hand until he realizes what he's looking at. "Is this a rifle scope? A-are you carrying a _rifle_?!"

Bucky's grin turns positively wicked. "Just a little one. Wanna see?"

"No! No guns!"

"Too late," Bucky says with a shrug.

Peter's not an idiot. He knows Bucky never leaves the house unarmed and since he's planning to rescue his moronic great grand-nephew from the stupidity he's gotten himself into, Peter is sure that Bucky is carrying _more_  than a gun. Besides the friggin' _rifle_ , that is. "Do I want to know how many guns you've got on you?"

Bucky leans against the parapet, cocks his head to the side and makes a show of considering Peter's question. Finally, he shakes his head and says, "Probably not. It'd just distract you."

Peter groans and buries his face in his hand.

"Y'know, Petey," Bucky says, expression growing serious, "it wouldn't kill you to let me teach you a few things about firearms. Knowing how many rounds a specific type holds and recognizing what kinds of rounds you're dealing with might just save your life or somebody else's. Besides, you may hate guns but the people you fight don't."

They've been dancing around the topic of Peter and guns for months, usually with Peter managing to avoid the topic or change it entirely. But now Bucky's gone and made an argument that Peter can't discount, one that makes sense and won't require him to have to touch or even fire a gun.

"It'd make me feel better. You know how I worry," Bucky adds and that, more than any other point he's made so far, is the one that does Peter in.

"Fine," Peter concedes.

Bucky claps him on the back. "Okay, hotshot, tell me about the townhouse's security."

The townhouse is 13 Sutton Place, a four story walk-up that, unlike its neighbors on either side, hasn't been subdivided into pricy apartments. It's still a private residence, with a low, wrought-iron fence around its front and wrought-iron bars over the first-floor windows. There's a large concrete planter to the right of the front door and it has some kind of green shrub and early spring flowers in it.

Peter stares hard but he doesn't see anything obvious in terms of security.

"Use the scope," Bucky says quietly.

Scopes and masks don't work well together, so Peter reluctantly tugs off his mask and when he puts the small scope to his eye, he can't believe the magnification. "Holy cow."

"Best one on the market," Bucky tells him. "The dots in the middle are called 'reticles'."

"They, uh, help you aim, right?" He can do this. He can talk about gun parts.

"That particular reticle pattern is called a BDC," Bucky explains. "BDC stands for 'bullet drop compensator' and you use it when you need accuracy but don't want to have to keep adjusting your scope elevation."

"Uh huh."

"The dials on the top are for measuring distance and calculating the angle between you and your target --"

"Maybe we can talk about that another time." Yuck! Just... Ugh.

"But you like math, Petey."

Peter whirls and catches the teasing smile on Bucky's face just a fraction of a second before the man dissolves into laughter. "It's not funny."

"It's a little funny," Bucky says, reaching out to ruffle Peter's hair. "I could use the laugh, Petey. There's a kid out there who's related to me who thinks it's okay to kill mutants." His smile fades and his jaw clenches. "And maybe he's doing it because he's pissed off about me."

Peter stares at him. "Why would you even think that?"

"Rikki's parents refused to meet me," Bucky says quietly. "Even though Becca told them I'm me now... They think I'm dangerous. Bad." He closes his eyes. "And if John grew up thinking I was some kind hero like Rikki did, maybe this is his way of lashing out at me."

"Not everything is about you," Peter says hotly. "Maybe John's just a...a... I don't know... A bad seed. And a jerk. Like, the biggest jerk in the history of jerkdom. If he's a murdering bigot jerk, that's got nothing to do with you!"

"There's an entire subforum on the Friends of Humanity blog devoted to me."

Peter makes an unimpressed noise. "Yeah, well I get the front page of the Daily Bugle at least twice a week and there are entire webpages devoted to what a menace I am. A subforum on some loser blog isn't anything to brag about."

Bucky grabs Peter and hugs him tightly. "Thanks, Petey. I needed that. I've been feelin' sorry for myself ever since that asshole Magneto suggested John was doing this because of me."

"If anything, John's doing this because of Magneto," Peter snorts. "He's the number one reason people hate mutants but that's only because they never spent time around Wolverine."

With a sigh, Bucky lets go of Peter. "Okay, enough sentimental sap. Tell me everything you observed about security and every item you missed is an extra twenty push-ups."

No, Peter thinks. He doesn't have to call Bucky 'dad'. What they have doesn't need a label. It's perfect the way it is.

 

 

 

 

 

 


	17. Chapter 17

 

  
Chapter 17

  
**Blind** **Man's** **Bluff**

 

Matt's exhausted after spending the better part of the night matching wits with District Attorney Reyes and Assistant U.S. District Attorney Pine, as well as his terrified client who was caught in the middle of their territorial pissing match over jurisdiction. While he supposes he could just as easily have updated Jessica with a phone call, he's curious about what progress she managed to make, given that she's partnered up with Bucky Barnes and Magneto. It's because he's so tired that he neglects to listen for Barnes' heartbeat until he steps out of the elevator on Jessica's floor and by then it's too late. Malcolm Ducasse has seen him.

"Hey, Matt," Malcolm calls, "You're just in time. Jessica's working on a big case --"

"I know," Matt cuts him off. Bucky isn't around but Magneto is and he's _sleeping_  in Jessica's bedroom. He recognizes Mary Jane Watson and Tommy Shepherd but there's another pair of teenagers he doesn't. "We talked about it earlier. I should let her work in peace --"

"Nah, you know she's always got time for you." With that, Malcolm opens the door and steps aside for Matt to go in first.

"Jesus, you look like shit," Jessica greets him.

"That's because somebody dumped a guilty client on me and I had to wait until the DA and the Department of Justice could figure out who had jurisdiction before I could try to cut a deal for him," Matt shoots back. He plasters on a smile he doesn't feel and turns to greet Mary Jane and Tommy with, "Speaking of cutting, does Bucky know you're cutting school?"

"Does he ever," Mary Jane tells him. "He was furious with Erik for bringing us here."

"Us," Matt echoes, not even bothering to comment on Erik's doings. He's sure Bucky's already read the man the riot act.

"Well, not all of us. Rikki was already here."

"Rikki," Matt repeats, extending his hand in the girl's direction. "I'm Matt Murdock, a friend of your uncle's."

The girl takes his hand and shakes it firmly. She's a tiny thing but she's got Bucky's confidence. "Hi."

"I'm Kong," the boy says, stepping forward to offer his hand to Matt. "I'm a friend of Peter's and since you're a friend of Peter's, I'm figuring you're either Moon Knight or Daredevil."

Matt hears Jessica snort a laugh behind him and forces himself to look confused. At least, he hopes he looks confused. He hasn't seen himself in a mirror in a long time. "Son, I'm blind --"

"Peter doesn't have any adult friends who aren't superheroes," Kong cuts him off, "or have super powers or are sidekicks to superheroes, like Malcolm over there."

"Hey!" Malcolm protests. "I'm nobody's sidekick!"

"Sure you are," Jessica tells him. "You're about as side-kick-y as it gets."

Malcolm flips her off.

Jessica returns the gesture.

"It's okay, Daredevil," Kong tells Matt, "I won't tell anybody your secret. I know Peter's --"

"I'm not Daredevil," Matt protests, wondering what happened to the Moon Knight identity theory the teen was just spouting. "I'm blind. And Peter does have adult friends who aren't superheroes. He's got me, my partner and our office manager."

"Dude, what reason would Peter have to know you?" Kong counters. "Or Mary Jane? It's not like we go to school in Hell's Kitchen. And since you know Jones over there, I figure you're a local and _that_  makes you Daredevil."

"Shit," Malcolm says softly. "I had no idea Matt was Daredevil. It all makes sense now. He's always bruised from crashing into stuff. No blind person could be _that_  clumsy."

"I'm know Bucky because I'm his lawyer," Matt offers in an attempt to rationalize the conversation and change the subject.

Unfortunately, Kong is refusing to let go of it. "Out of all the lawyers in New York, why would he choose some random guy nobody's ever heard of?"

"Maybe because he _did_  hear about me when I helped provide evidence that took down Wilson Fisk," Matt shoots back. "It was all over the news. The entire city's heard of Nelson and Murdock."

"Who used evidence you got because you're Daredevil."

"Look, Kong --"

"I think it's awesome that you're visually impaired _and_  a hero," Kong says over him as Matt blows out an exasperated sigh.

"He knows Peter is Spider-Man," Mary Jane says.

"So does Peter's entire class," Matt shoots back acidly. He really doesn't need three more people knowing his secret, even if one of them is Bucky Barnes' great grand niece and other is one of Peter's friends. And he doesn't want to think about recovering addict Malcolm having that information.

"Not all of them," Kong tells him. "Flash is in denial."

"It's okay, Matt," Malcolm says gently. "You can admit the truth to us. We're friends and friends don't --"

"I'm _blind_ ," Matt argues loudly. "There's no way I could be Daredevil."

"Mutation," comes the baritone rumble of Magneto as he emerges from Jessica's bedroom. "It is the key to our evolution. It is how we have evolved from a single-celled organism into the dominant species on the planet. This process is slow, and normally takes thousands and thousands of years. But every few hundred millennia, evolution leaps forward and gives us deaf children who hear with their minds and blind men who see with their other senses."

"I'm not --" Matt begins, though he's starting to suspect it's a lost cause.

"No, you are not a mutant," Magneto agrees and then adds, "You are enhanced. An illegal genetic mutation, to use Nick Fury's vernacular."

It's definitely a lost cause. One on one, he could probably have managed to convince the boy he's not Daredevil but surrounded by a bunch of -- for want of a better word -- _assholes_  who are determined to out him, he's completely screwed. Foggy is never going to let him hear the end of this. "I stopped by with news. Would you like to hear it or would you like to spend the rest of the day guessing how a blind man became Daredevil?"

"Okay," Jessica says loudly. "Enough picking on Daredevil. I want to hear this."

Matt flips her off, since that seems to be the gesture of the day and starts from the beginning.

 

0000000000000000

 

 

 **Top** **of** **the** **World**

 

  
Petey is bored. He's so bored that he's got Barnes' scope and he's fooling around with it, holding it in one hand and trying to line up a shot with his web shooter with the other. It's a sign of just how bored _Barnes_  is that he's watching Petey out of the corner of his eye. He's patient, sure. A sniper has to be patient. But that doesn't change the fact that nobody has gone in or out of 13 Sutton Place since they've been watching. There's been no movement from within and even the delivery menu guys who leave menus all over the fucking city seem to avoid this street like the plague.

He watches Petey until he can't take it anymore and gets behind the kid, taking his arm and lining up the shot for him. At least as best as he can approximate. He's never used a scope to fire a web before. And since he knows Petey is just fooling around, Barnes presses the button for the web shooter and fires.

A jet of webbing flies true and covers the top of the lamp post on the corner.

At least, Barnes assumes that was the target.

"Inventing a web rifle, Petey?" Barnes asks.

Petey lowers the scope and turns to him. "Would you use one?"

"Would I?" Barnes echoes.

"Yeah," Petey explains and his voice takes on that urgent, excited tone he uses when he's describing some new science fact he's learned or problem he's solved. "I mean, my Spidey sense means I don't need a scope but I was thinking if you wanted to use webs like you did on Halloween, maybe I could rig some stuff for you. You know, like a web drop compensator and ---"

Barnes' phone rings, interrupting the boy. He fishes it out of his pocket to see Jones' number on the screen. "Jones --"

She cuts him off and what she tells him changes his entire timeline.

He ends the call and eyes Petey. "They're going to have a deal for Davis later and when they do, he's going to name names --"

"Including John's," Petey finishes.

"Yeah." Barnes blows out a sigh. "Matt thinks he might be able to swing a deal for John--"

"So he can get away with murdering all those people?!"

"He's a _kid_ , Petey. Just a little older than you."

"He's an accessory to murder," Peter argues. "What if he was the one who planted the bomb?"

"Then he pays for what he did," Barnes says because there's no counter argument that John was forced into joining FOH, that he was brainwashed. John did all of this willingly and Barnes hates the idea of what that's going to do to Rikki when she finally accepts it. "But we get him out and get him safe so he can turn himself in. If you don't want to help, then go home but he's my family and I'm doing this."

" _I'm_  your family." Peter sucks in a deep breath. "Of course I'm gonna help. What do you need me to do?"

Barnes squares his shoulders and looks across the street. "I need you to show me how much you've learned about infiltration."

"You want me --"

"You know where the cameras on the roof are. What do you do about them?"

Peter digs out his StarkPhone. "We break into the feeds and loop them." He taps at his screen. "There. Done."

"And the alarms?"

"Close the circuit?"

"How?"

"I'd need to see it up close."

Barnes shakes his head and pulls out a pack of chewing gum. "I'm gonna teach you a trick or two today, Petey."

"And I'm going to teach you one." Peter pulls off his web shooter and hands Barnes the scope. "You'll need to factor in the wind and the density of the web you're shooting when you do the calculation but I think I've figured out the equation."

As he slides on the web shooter, Barnes finds himself thinking of the things he could do with a web rifle and a pair of web shooters of his own.

Then he goes to work.

 

 

0000000000000000

 

  
**Wondering** **Nomad**

 

 

"So this is it?" Rikki whispers to Mary Jane. "We just sit here and crunch data?"

"Those with super powers do, those without do this," Mary Jane tells her. "And those whose name is Kong get lectured by Matt about the importance of keeping secrets."

"Matt's right," Jones says, coming up behind them. "He helps people and his identity shouldn't be out there for everyone to know."

"How come you don't?" Rikki asks her.

Jones' expression instantly goes guarded. "Because I don't --"

"She does," Malcolm cuts in. "She's just not flashy about it, in a fancy uniform." He taps at his laptop and then turns it towards Rikki. "See?"

Rikki has half a second to see an article about chaos on the docks in Manhattan and a photo of Jones being led away in handcuffs before Jones snatches the laptop from her.

Tommy reaches for the bowl of pretzels and empties it in the blink of an eye. "I'd help but I'm grounded."

"As you should be," Magneto tells him.

"You're all helping," Jones says firmly. "You're doing research."

"All we've found out is the building on Sutton Place is owned by a partnership which is owned by a corporation which is owned by a..." Rikki looks at her notes. "A real estate investment trust based in the Caymans."

Jones folds her arms over her chest. "Step back and look at that. You learned something important."

"Someone is covering their tracks?" Kong suggests.

"What are you doing after high school?" Jones asks him.

He shrugs. "I was thinking maybe I'd join the Army and learn a trade."

"Take the SATs," Jones tells him. "You're smarter than you give yourself credit for and I think you'll find that out in college where you don't have to deal with everyone's preconceptions about you. Besides, Barnes could give you an earful about joining the Army. If he remembers." She leans over Rikki's laptop. "JARVIS is getting the details about the investment trust. Looks like its owner is a corporation. Someone is definitely going through a lot of trouble to hide their identity."

"In my experience," Magneto says, "that means it's your government, trying to conceal its involvement."

Jones eyes him. "Are you suggesting the government is behind Friends of Humanity?"

"Yes."

Rikki and Mary Jane glance at each other.

"Shit," Jones exclaims. "Everyone stop! Stop searching. Now!"

Kong raises both hands in surrender. "Why?"

"Because if Magneto's right, then we're making _ourselves_  targets." Jones taps a button on her laptop. "JARVIS, do you have protocols to conceal our searches and to tell us if someone is tracking us?"

"Yes, Ms. Jones," comes the disembodied voice of Tony Stark's AI from her laptop. "I can also trace the source of the tracker."

"Do that." She curses loudly and creatively before turning her attention to Rikki. "Know what kinds of cases I had before I met Uncle Bucky?"

Rikki blinks, startled to suddenly find herself the focus of the conversation. "Uh, no?"

"Easy ones. Ones where I didn't have to worry about government and HYDRA death squads coming after me."

"How mundane that must have been," Magneto says, smirking. "Don't fret, Ms. Jones. I doubt anyone they send is expecting to find me here, protecting you and the children."

"Gee," Jones gripes. "I feel much better now."

Rikki knows exactly how she feels.

 

 

 

 


	18. Chapter 18

 

Chapter 18

  
**Spy** **Kids**

 

"You just bypassed a sophisticated security system with chewing gum!" Peter exclaims.

Bucky turns towards him with a smirk. "Guess that's why they call it 'gumming up the works', huh, Petey?"

"Dude," Peter groans, "that was a _terrible_  pun."

"You're just jealous you didn't make it first."

That much is true, not that Peter's going to admit it. Not that he has to. Bucky _knows_ him better than almost anyone. "Well --"

"Besides, it's not just the gum," Bucky says, reaching out to squeeze Peter's shoulder affectionately because, yeah, he knows. "It was the wrapper, too. Thank God they still use a little foil to make 'em."

"But you took out a fiber optic --"

"Peggy Carter taught me that trick. Back in the days before there was fiber optic anything." Bucky wrenches open the steel fire door and peers inside, hand raised in silent warning that Peter should wait for his signal. "Sometimes, the simplest ways are the best, Petey. Remember that the next time Stark starts showing you some high tech gizmo to solve something that's not even a problem."

Peter stares at him because, well, Bucky is right. He was trying to figure out how to bypass the security system with a looped signal while Bucky used a stick of Juicy Fruit and its wrapper to solve the problem. "But how did you know --?"

"Experience," Bucky says, his voice dropping to a whisper as he leads Peter through the fire door, down the short flight of stairs where he stops to scowl at yet another reinforced steel fire door that separates them from the inside just as Peter's spider sense starts to tingle.

Peter grabs Bucky by the jacket and yanks him back.

Bucky peers at Peter over his shoulder. "Noticed it too, huh?"

"Um..." It's not even worth pretending, he decides. "No."

"See the trip wire?" Bucky points to an almost-invisible piece of fishing line at the bottom of the door then he turns to Peter again. "That's why your spider sense went off. Always aim low and you'll spot 'em easy when you're doing recon. Know how to defuse one of these?"

"No!" And then he mentally rewinds to the word 'defuse'. "Th-there's a bomb?!"

"Of course there's a bomb," Bucky says, squatting to inspect the trip wire more closely. "What'd you think? It's hooked up a to a pail of water over the door?"

"Maybe we should --"

"You can smell the plastic explosive."

"You _can_?"

"You can too. Tell me what it smells like."

Peter lifts his mask and inhales deeply. "Rubbery, right?"

"Most people say it smells like tar." Bucky rises slowly. "I can't defuse this from here."

Peter closes his eyes and exhales in relief. He's probably not going to go boom today.

"Turn off your cell phone."

"What?!"

Bucky is already tucking his phone back into his pocket. "I said I couldn't defuse the bomb from _here_." He bares his teeth in a smile that makes the hair on the back of Peter's neck stand up as he cocks his left fist. "That means I need to get on the other side of the door."

With that, Bucky starts to punch a hole clean through the drywall.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Peter asks weakly. Not that it matters. Bucky's already made a hole big enough for him to crawl through. "Bucky?"

"Relax, Petey," Bucky says, as he starts to climb through the hole he just punched. "I've got this."

Those, Peter is pretty sure, sound an awful lot like famous last words.

 

00000000000

 

 **Babysitter's** **Club**

 

  
I'm missing something.

Usually when I reach this point in a case, I step back, look at all the information I've collected and I can figure out what I've missed. _This_ time, I've got helpers and _they've_ got their grubby little hands all over the information which means I don't have my hands on it. I can't feel its texture and its pulse and I can't hear it talking to me. Who even knows if what my helpers found is important or total garbage?

Worse, they won't shut the fuck up so I can try to sort through my thoughts. Not for a second.

I've got Malcolm trying to broker some kind of peace between Tommy and Magneto.

On the other side of the room, Kong and Rikki are trying to figure out what a real estate trust is and how it works so they can try to untangle where the money is coming from.

And Mary Jane...

Mary Jane is in my sanctuary. Okay, fine, it's the bathroom but it's the one place where these assholes can't follow me and _Mary_ _Jane_ is using it as _her_ sanctuary.

I knew she was smart.

Except she's being smart in the one place where I get all my thinking done.

And just when I think it can't possibly get any worse, Trish comes in.

"I brought doughnuts from Dough," she trills. "We're celebrating! Did you hear my show this morning? I made the mayor admit attacks on mutants were---" Trish stops mid-sentence and looks slowly around the room at my guests before focusing on Magneto with laser-like intensity as she finally ends her sentence, "A hate crime."

"And now that he has admitted it," Magneto asks, "What does he propose to do?"

Trish lights up at the question because he just took the bait she was dangling in front of him. "Maybe you can ask him yourself."

I wince because I know what's coming next and I can't avoid it by ducking into my bathroom. No, I'm going to have to witness this car crash happen in slow motion.

"Come on my show," Trish says, popping open the box of overpriced designer doughnuts and waving it under Magneto's nose like she's making an offering to a god. "Everybody is wondering why you've been silent --"

"Have they now?" Magneto reaches into the box and takes the dulce de leche with almonds, proving that not only is he the Asshole of Magnetism, he's the asshole who takes the best doughnut in the box. "And do you propose to put me on display and let the good people complain about my silence even as they blame me for the carnage?"

Trish took a combat enhancer and nearly killed herself to face down a drugged out Captain America wanna-be. Condescending Magneto doesn't scare her either. That's because we both survived living with her mother. "First of all, it's radio. Second of all, we can put you in a remote location or pre-record whatever statement you want to make," Trish says, handing the box of doughnuts to Tommy because she's too busy arguing to notice that four disappear as soon as she does. "You made yourself the spokesperson for the mutant population and you owe it to them to --"

"I _owe_ \--"

"Yes," Trish cuts him off because she's just as crazy as he is. "You're the guy who's been spouting off about mutant superiority for decades and then you _saved_ millions of people in Sokovia. Not just mutants.   _Regular_ people. Who _are_ you? What do you stand for? And does this attack on the Xavier Center change any of that? What message do you have for the mutant kids who now don't have a safe place to go in New York City?"

Magneto takes a bite of the doughnut, hums with approval and then hits Trish with the full effect of his Asshole of Magnetism stare. "Charles turned down your request for an interview, I suppose."

Trish makes a face. "The kid that finally answered the phone at his school said he's not even on the planet." She snorts derisively.

"That's entirely possible, you know."

Trish's eyes go wide.

"Let us discuss this proposal of yours," Magneto says, snatching the box of doughnuts back from Tommy. "There is fresh coffee in the kitchen. I made it myself."

She flashes me a triumphant grin as I shoot one last desperate look at my still-closed bathroom door.

I need peace.

I need quiet.

I need to get away from these fucking lunatics so I can _think_.

And suddenly, I know exactly where I need to go.

My house guests don't even notice me leave.

Thank god.

 

000000000000000000

  
**The** **Devil** **You** **Know**

 

Matt's awake even before he hears Jessica Jones pounding at his door. Lucky, on the other hand, doesn't even stir. The dog is on his back, paws in the air and snoring loudly.

"Wake up, Murdock. I know you're in there."

"No, I'm not," Matt grumbles but he's on his feet because he's pretty sure she'd just break the lock and let herself in. "You have to wait at least twenty four hours before you can ask me for another favor --"

"I just needed some peace and quiet," she cuts him off, heading for his kitchen. "And coffee that wasn't made by a magnetic mutant asshole."

"And you came here."

"Yeah, well --- holy shit!"

Matt smirks at her reaction to the billboard outside his window. "I'm told it's even more impressive at night."

"Bet you got this place for a song," she says, stepping around Lucky as she heads to the window for a closer look. Lucky stirs -- finally -- and bumps his head against her hand for an ear scratch. "I see you're still babysitting Clint's dog and his kid."

"Your powers of observation are sharp as ever," Matt snipes. "You should be a detective."

Jones flips him off. "How pissed was Foggy?"

"About taking on another guilty client?" Matt heads to the kitchen, Lucky at his heels, where he pours himself a cup of coffee since it looks like he's got company, whether he wants it or not. "Or about me taking the morning off when we both needed to be in court? The answer is pretty pissed on both counts but less pissed than he would have been since I got the client by lawyering and not 'Daredeviling', to use Foggy's exact phrasing."

"Blame Barnes."

"Oh, I do." Still, having met Barnes' great grand-niece, Matt gets Barnes' reckless reaction to the situation completely. "Speaking of Barnes --"

"He's off doing recon," Jones says, making air quotes. "Checking out the building where FOH supposedly did their recruiting."

"In other words, out of your hair for a while."

"It was a lead and he was annoying the fuck out of me with his mother hen bullshit."

"Isn't that what you should be doing? Chasing down leads?"

Jones blows out a frustrated breath. "I'm sure you noticed all my helpers. They're driving me up the goddamned wall so badly I can't figure out what the real leads are --"

"And that's why you came here."

"Peace and quiet."

"And JARVIS."

"You have JARVIS?!"

" _Everyone_ has JARVIS." Matt arranges his face into what he's been told is his innocent expression. "Why? Did you think you were special?"

She flips him off again and then starts to pace the length of his living room. "I'm missing something. Something obvious."

"So let's start at the beginning."

"The beginning," Jones says slowly, "is Barnes."

Matt considers pointing out that she might be a little bit obsessed with Bucky Barnes but he decides to take the high road. "I thought the beginning was his great grand nephew getting involved with Friends of Humanity."

"How did he get involved with them?" Jones asks. "It's not like they have an 800 number or a website."

"They came after him," Matt suggests. "Not the other way around."

"But why him? He's nothing special --"

"He's one of Bucky's very few living relatives."

"JARVIS," Jones says. "Is it public knowledge that John Proctor is related to Bucky Barnes?"

"I have over one thousand four hundred and eleven Internet references, including John Proctor's social media accounts stating the relationship. Multiple news outlets, including the Philadelphia Enquirer also published human interest --"

"Thanks, J, I get the picture," Jones interrupts JARVIS. She blows out an exasperated breath. "Okay, so they targeted John Proctor and he was stupid enough to fall for their bullshit. He's not a ringleader."

"No," Matt agrees, "he's a pawn."

"Which makes the endgame --"

"Barnes," they say together.

"Friends of Humanity isn't just anti-mutant," Matt says. "They're anti anyone who's enhanced."

"They've got terabytes devoted to what a piece of shit Barnes is," Jones agrees. "And now they're saying Stevie's a piece of shit for befriending Magneto, who's --"

"Also a piece of shit?"

"You catch on fast."

Now it's Matt's turn to feel like he's missing something important. "Where did you say Bucky was?"

"Checking out a lead on a FOH recruiting site."

"Where'd you get that lead?"

"Charlie Wiederman's cousin's --- fuck!"

Matt doesn't even bother to agree that Barnes just walked into a trap and that they need to rescue him. He just reaches for his suit and wonders again why he let Steve Rogers talk him into getting involved in this insanity.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently, Wrigley stopped using foil wrappers in 2010. Another piece of my youth is dead...


	19. Chapter 19

  
Chapter 19

 

 **Sisters** **Are** **Doing it** **For** **Themselves**

 

  
"Mary Jane!"

No answer. Not even a sound inside the bathroom where Mary Jane's holed herself up for the past forty minutes.

"I know you're in there," Rikki tries again.

Still no answer.

The thing is, Mary Jane is an only child. Rikki is a younger sister with fourteen years of practice of dealing with an older brother who has fourteen years of practice ignoring her when she wants to talk about something important. She musters up her most annoying whine, the one that absolutely, positively will not fail. "Come on Mary Jane. I have to goooooo."

The door flies open and whatever Mary Jane was about to say instead comes out as, "Where's Jessica Jones?"

"I don't know," Rikki shrugs, trying to appear nonchalant as she inwardly cheers both her success and the fact that she has somebody normal to talk to about how annoyed she is about how little progress they've made.

"Where did she go?"

Rikki shrugs again. "She didn't say."

"Well, when did she leave?"

"She snuck out somewhere after that reporter lady showed up with the doughnuts and Magneto decided he wanted to be a star," Rikki tells her. "Right around the time you locked yourself in the bathroom."

Mary Jane's eyes tick from the kitchen, to the desk where Kong, Malcolm and Tommy are obliviously arguing about real estate investment trusts and then back to Rikki. "She snuck out."

"Yes."

"By herself."

"Uh-huh."

"She must have had a lead," Mary Jane concludes.

Rikki wants to cheer again. Instead, she plays it cool. "You know who doesn't have a lead? Us."

Mary Jane frowns but it's a frown of concentration, not a frown of being ticked off. "We're not supposed to have leads. We're supposed to follow the money."

"I didn't come here to follow the money," Rikki argues. "I came here to find my brother and now it feels like I'm doing everything but finding him."

"Bucky --"

"Uncle Bucky is following the money, too! Nobody's looking for John!" There. She's said it. As disloyal as it sounds, it's how she's feeling.

"Okay," Mary Jane says.

Rikki blinks. "Okay?"

"Okay," MJ repeats, folding her arms over her chest and rocking on her heels. "You want to find John. Where should we start?"

"Uh, I guess we hit the streets," Rikki suggests.

"There are twelve million people out there, five boroughs plus all of New Jersey and Connecticut," Mary Jane counters, wagging a finger at Rikki. "You'd have better odds standing on a street corner and hoping to run into him than randomly walking the streets. No. We're going to start with what we know for sure." She walks over to the desk, grabs her legal pad and a pen and comes back over to Rikki. "How did you know for sure John was involved with Friends of Humanity?"

Rikki rolls her eyes as she explains, "He got a tattoo and posted a picture of it on Facebook, trying to impress some girl."

"And how did you know he was coming to New York?"

"He never learned how to delete his browser history."

Mary Jane gnaws her lower lip in thought. "So he looked up bus schedules and fares. We could have JARVIS try to isolate Port Authority footage and --"

"No, he was looking up tolls not schedules," Rikki says and then she hits her forehead with the heel of her hand. "Ohmigod. I'm an idiot. He came by car. Who else do we know who traveled here by car to hook up with Friends of Humanity?"

There's no need to mention the Ringer by name. Instead, Mary Jane snatches the laptop away from Kong and pulls up Google Maps. "Medina, Ohio is near the Ohio Turnpike, which connects to the Pennsylvania Turnpike --"

"Which connects to 676 and takes you to Philly," Rikki interrupts.

"And there are cameras at all the tollbooths and rest stops all along the way."

"But all that proves is that they traveled and maybe even arrived together." Rikki sighs. "If John was staying with the Ringer, there would have been evidence in the Ringer's motel room. Jessica Jones would have mentioned if she found something, wouldn't she?"

"What if the Ringer dropped him off somewhere?" Mary Jane suggests. "Like you said, there are cameras all over the place. JARVIS could analyze the footage find that out in five minutes _and_ find out where John went."

"We don't know that he's still there."

"True, but we'd have a place to start."

"A lead."

"One that nobody else thought of."

They look at each other, high five, and then they get to work.

 

 

 

0000000000000000

 

**Saving Sergeant Barnes...and Petey**

 

  
"Pigeon!"

I swerve in time to avoid the fucking pigeon, just like the last six that Murdock pointed out on our flight from Hell's Kitchen to Sutton Place. I don't bother telling Murdock that I think the pigeons are the ones who should get the hell out of _my_ way and not the other way around. "Would you shut the hell up so I can concentrate?"

"Thor doesn't need to concentrate," Murdock informs me as primly as a guy in a red devil suit can.

"Thor uses a phallic symbol to fly," I snort and then put the shoe on the other foot by saying, "Stop being a whiner. Barnes doesn't whine when I fly him around."

It's Murdock's turn to snort a response but he doesn't say anything else.

Not that it matters. I know what he's implying so if I land a little rougher than usual on the roof of 13 Sutton Place, maybe it's not unintentional. "Sorry," I say brightly. "Guess you should've let me concentrate." And then I see the door to the roof. "Jesus, Barnes used _chewing gum_ to bypass the security."

Murdock doesn't answer. His head is tilted slightly and his nostrils are flaring. "My God... The whole place is rigged with explosives."

I stare at him. "What do you mean, the whole place?"

"All three floors and the basement," Murdock says tightly. " _Especially_ the basement."

If there was any doubt in our minds this was a trap, it's gone now. "Where's Barnes?"

"He's with Peter. Two floors down." His head tilts more sharply to the side. "We're being watched. Tall building, halfway down. There's a man on his cell phone asking whether he should detonate the --"

"Take care of him. I'll get Barnes and Spider-kid."

Murdock doesn't need to be told twice. He vaults off the roof, over the side of the building and vanishes. It should be impossible for someone in a red devil suit to do that in broad daylight but Murdock does it. He's that good.

And now it's my turn to be that good because whoever is watching us saw Murdock's disappearing act and he's about to see me go after Barnes and Petey. Orders or not, the asshole is going to hit the detonator the second he sees me take off which means I have to be fast and have to get this right. Since the chances of that are pretty slim, I resign myself to getting caught in an explosion. Par for the course whenever I'm around Barnes.

Sucking in a deep breath, I fling myself off the roof and crash through the second floor window. Barnes is about to pull a wire on a bomb while Petey watches from the ceiling. I grab both of them and we crash through another window on our way out, just as the building explodes around us.

For a few seconds, I'm flying blind because I'm stunned stupid by the force of the explosion. I'm vaguely aware of flying over water and then we crash land in grass. It takes forever for my vision to clear but when it does, I'm grateful to realize that we flew over the East River and ended up in the Garden Club on Roosevelt Island. My cell phone is vibrating in my pocket but my ears are ringing too hard for me to have a conversation with anyone. I pull it out, see that the caller is Murdock and quickly text him that we're okay. He responds with a photo of a man who's been knocked unconscious along with an address to meet him at when we've recovered.

Petey is flat on his back, mask off and eyes closed while he swats at Barnes who's doing his usual mother hen routine as he inspects the kid for injuries.

Barnes looks up at me from where he's kneeling and I flip him off, figuring that the gesture is sufficient to convey how pissed off I am about getting caught in another explosion and getting caught up in his bullshit _again_.

His lips curve into a smirk and his gleaming metal hand returns the gesture.

I can hardly wait for our hearing to come back so I can tell him in detail just how pissed off I am about his one-man bomb squad act.

 

 

  
0000000000

 

**Bucky Barnes Fucks Up**

 

Barnes knows he fucked up.

He knew the place was a trap when he saw all the explosives -- _knew_ it -- but he was sure there was something hidden there. Some vital clue about John's whereabouts. Go figure the only thing hidden there was an agenda by Friends of Humanity.

He should have sent Petey out the second he saw the bombs.

And he can tell that Jones is getting ready to lay into him because of it.

So Barnes heads her off by admitting it off the bat. "I fucked up."

"Huh?"

"I fucked up," Barnes repeats, a little louder this time.

"Yeah," Jones agrees. And then she adds, "My hearing's fucked up too."

"Not my hearing," Barnes shouts. "Me! I fucked up!"

Jones smirks and says quietly, "You sure did, asshole. Not a big surprise. You're really fucking gullible."

He flips her off with both hands.

"Could you two hold it down so I can have my concussion in peace?" Petey groans.

"We all have concussions," Jones tells him. "You don't get special treatment. Especially when you let him do something that stupid."

"This is my fault now?" Petey sits up and stares at her. "Maybe you want to write the Bugle's editorial blaming me for that explosion. I'm sure Jolly Jonah's hands could use the break from typing up another one."

"It's not your fault --" Barnes begins.

"It's _always_ my fault," Petey sighs.

Jones pulls her cell phone from her jacket and then holds it up for Barnes' inspection. "Nope, it's definitely Barnes' fault. There's a photo of him breaking into the building trending on Twitter. Looks like this wasn't just a trap, Barnes. It's a frame."

Barnes doesn't even bother looking at the tweets. No need. "It's never been about John."

"No, dumbass," Jones agrees. "It's about you. Mutants are an easy target for Friends of Humanity but they're going after the big game -- anybody with powers. Care to guess why?"

"Registration," Petey answers before Barnes can. "So you're saying Friends of Humanity is a front for the registration movement?"

"The way the money's been moving? I'm willing to bet Barnes' good arm on it." Jones slowly gets to her feet. "We just need to prove it and then we can see about shutting down Friends of Humanity for good."

"We need to find John," Barnes says, "and we're out of leads."

Jones flashes him a Mona Lisa smile. "Not exactly." And then she looks pointedly at Petey. "Go back to my place and keep an eye on things. You've done enough for one day."

Petey opens his mouth to protest but Barnes cuts him off. "Go back to base."

"But --"

"I've got this."

"But --"

"Petey," Barnes says firmly.

With a sigh, the kid pulls his mask on, shoots a web and heads for the Queensboro Bridge.

Barnes watches him and then turns to Jones. "So what's this lead you have that you didn't want Petey to see?"

"It's an asshole from Friends of Humanity that Matt caught for us," Jones tells him. "Ready to get some answers?"

"That would be a nice change," Barnes says.

"So would not getting blown up."

"I said I fucked up, Jones."

"I'm never going to get tired of hearing that, Barnes."

Of course he flips her off.

And of course she returns the gesture.

He'd be shocked if she didn't.

 

 

 

 

 

**********************

 

Okay, I know it's been a looooong time since I updated.  Health wise, it's been a rough couple of months, beginning with a sinus infection that turned into pneumonia and ending (I hope) with me falling down a flight of steps and breaking my nose.  Ever see people running around with tape on their noses in movies and TV, like getting a broken nose is no big deal?  I'm here to tell you that's total BS.  Luckily, my cats took very good care of me and it was great getting messages on Tumblr (msbrooklynfanfic) and comments here from you.  Anyway, enough of my whining.  More chapters to come!


	20. Chapter 20

  
Chapter 20

 

**Hostile** **Witness**

 

  
Matt hears Jessica Jones call Bucky Barnes an asshole roughly at the same time he hears the steady thump of Barnes' heartbeat approaching. A moment later, they're on the roof of the building where Matt is waiting with the unconscious Friends of Humanity thug. The bickering duo reek of burnt hair and clothing and Jones is limping slightly as she comes up to him to demand, "How the hell did you send a text _and_ a picture?"

"Shouldn't you be directing your questions towards the guy on the ground that Matt caught for us, Jones?" Barnes asks.

"First of all, it's codenames when we're in the field, dumbass," Jones snaps, "and second, we're on a rooftop, not the ground and third, I just got blown up for you. I think I'm entitled to choose my priorities."

"You didn't get blown up, _Jewel_ ," Barnes retorts. "You flew _through_  an explosion."

"It's the same fucking thing!"

"No," Barnes corrects her. "It's not."

"Really?" Jones practically spits. "Then explain the difference."

Matt considers pointing out that there are other, more important priorities but even he's curious to hear Barnes dig himself out of the indefensible position he's just taken. Besides, Foggy will laugh himself sick when Matt tells him about it later. Assuming Barnes doesn't get Matt blown up today. Given Barnes' track record, it's a distinct possibility.

"Your clothes and hair would be much more fucked up if you got blown up," Barnes says loftily. "And Ma -- pardon me, _Daredevil_ is hooked up to JARVIS. Some detective you are, Jones. That shit is elementary."

Matt doesn't need enhanced senses to know that Jones just flipped Barnes off and given the weak counter-argument as well as the lame Sherlock Holmes reference, Matt thinks Barnes completely deserved it. It's why he adds fuel to the fire by giving Barnes something new to chew on. "Spider-Man came up with the idea and design."

Jones can't resist pouncing on that opening. "Which is why you should try not get him blown up, like you do everybody else. The kid's brains shouldn't get scrambled like yours are."

"We flew _through_  --"

"There's _no_ difference, Barnes."

"Help me out here, Daredevil. You've been in a few explosions --"

"Thanks to you," Jones says before Matt can open his mouth. "Before you came along, all he got was beaten up and stabbed."

Matt considers protesting but, unfortunately, it's the truth. Also, these two idiots are giving him a headache and the less he gives them to argue about, the better.

"So I taught him a valuable life skill," Barnes shrugs, his left arm whirring softly with the movement. "Now I'm gonna teach him a new one." He yanks their soon-to-be snitch to his feet, no doubt because he also heard the man start to stir. "He's gonna learn first hand what the Winter Soldier does to assholes who come after his family."

Neither Matt nor Jones argues _that_ point.

 

0000000000000000

  
**Home Is Where the Head Injury Is**

 

  
Any other day, Peter might have argued with Bucky about staying in the field and helping but today is different. Today, Rikki is in Jessica Jones' apartment with only Tommy and Magneto to watch over her. Sure, they're scary and dangerous together but so is the Ol' Parker Luck and Peter knows from experience that there's no such thing as completely safe. Besides, Bucky is putting his faith in Peter to make sure nothing happens. And with Mary Jane in the blast zone of the OPL, Peter is doubly intent on keeping the explosions to a minimum. Especially since he's just been in one and he's got the mother of all concussions from it.

The concussion is the reason he has to ask to make sure he's seeing what he thinks he's seeing. Or, rather, what he's not seeing.

"Guys? Where are Rikki and Mary Jane?"

Malcolm, Kong and Tommy don't even look up from the computer screen they're huddled over as they bicker about something Peter doesn't have the patience to ask about.

"Guys?"

It used to be that the sight of a big time superhero in red and blue spandex got everyone's attention, even if it was just to call him a menace or scream incoherently. But no. His friends are all jaded enough to ignore his superhero entrance through the window and it's like he's Puny Parker all over again, even with the spider powers and the muscles and saving the world and everything. It's downright depressing, is what it is.

Peter heaves a sigh and heads into the kitchen to find Magneto engrossed in a conversation with Trish Walker. "Um --"

"Hello, Peter. Ms. Walker and I were just discussing whether having you join me during my interview would be..." Magneto trails off and stares at Peter. "What happened to you?"

"To me?" Peter flaps his arms in frustration. "What happened to Mary Jane and Rikki?"

"Nothing. They're right here."

"Dude, would I be asking if they were?"

Magneto reaches out and plucks the mask from Peter's face. "I wouldn't ordinarily question you but you seem rather concussed."

"I'm concussed," Peter argues. "I'm not stupid or blind. They're not here! You were supposed to be looking out for them, not figuring out how to get the best ratings in your time slot!"

Magneto's eyes flash but he doesn't say a word as he gets to his feet. "Thomas. Where are Mary Jane and Rikki?"

Tommy rolls his eyes. "It's Tommy."

Peter bites back a growl of frustration. "Where did they go?"

"Coffee run?" Kong suggests.

There's a whoosh and before the door to Jones' apartment can shut, Tommy is back. "Nope, they're not on line at Starbucks."

"Oh man," Kong groans, as the reality of the situation comes crashing down on him. "Bucky's gonna _kill_ us."

"He'll kill Jessica first," Malcolm points out. "She left before they did."

"She's with him now. We all got blown up," Peter says, nudging Kong aside to look at the notes MJ left behind. "She figured out we were walking into a trap but what she didn't figure was that we were being framed for the explosion. At least, not until it happened."

"Reports of your involvement have gone viral," JARVIS announces from the laptop's speakers.

Peter stares at the laptop. "JARVIS?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Jessica Jones has access to JARVIS?!"

"Yes, Peter," JARVIS informs him. "She has had access for several weeks."

Peter cuts his eyes to Magneto and then to Tommy, then Trish and then to Kong and Malcolm. He wonders if any of them are thinking what he's thinking. Probably not. None of them have really been exposed to JARVIS. "JARVIS, do you by any chance know where Rikki and Mary Jane went? And how long ago?"

JARVIS rattles off an address in Brooklyn and gives the time of departure as thirteen minutes before Peter arrived.

Peter is halfway out of Jones' window when Magneto's voice stops him.

"I'm coming with you."

"I've got --"

"A concussion," Magneto cuts him off smoothly. "You've no business going out into the field in your condition and while I could stop you -- quite easily, I might add -- I'm going to help you."

The message is clear. Accept Magneto's help or else.

He doesn't need a psychic to know Magneto's going to be sorry later.

After all, the Ol' Parker Luck is in motion.

 

 

 

 


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

 

**A Hate Group Grows in Brooklyn**

 

 

Mary Jane knows they've found exactly what Bucky and Peter were looking for the second she lays eyes on the unassuming storefront for A&S Provisions in equally unassuming Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. She grabs onto Rikki's arm and pulls her along the sidewalk until they're down the block and around the corner, away from the two guys doing a lousy job of pretending they're not lookouts. Mary is pretty sure she'd have been able to spot their guns even without Bucky's lessons.

"That was it!" Rikki whispers excitedly once they are as far out of earshot as they can get. "That's their hideout! We have to sneak --"

"Whoa," Mary Jane cuts her off. "We came here to check out a lead, not get in over our heads. And that's exactly what'll happen if we try to sneak in."

Rikki's eyes narrow in a very Bucky-like expression of determination. "But --"

"But what?" Mary asks. "Do you know how to sneak in anywhere? Name one place you've successfully snuck in."

"The movies."

Mary Jane rolls her eyes. "Everyone's snuck into the movies. Name something tougher."

"Well, what've _you_ snuck into?" Rikki counters. "Seeing as you're such an expert and all."

"It wasn't in," Mary says finally. "It was out. Peter got shot and we had to sneak him out of the hospital before the cops came to question him." She puts her hands on her hips and stares down at Rikki sternly. "That was enough to cure me of my sneaking around for good."

"But John might be in there," Rikki protests.

"He might be," Mary Jane agrees. "But what we do know is that the people who definitely _are_ in there had no problem blowing up a building full of kids our age just because they were mutants. That means they'd have no problems killing _us_."

Rikki blows out a frustrated breath. "So what do we do?"

"We do the smart thing."

"Which is?"

"We call Bucky and then we find someplace where we can watch the building without being seen until he gets here."

"Fine," Rikki relents, stuffing her hands into her pockets. "Call him."

Satisfied that she has control of the situation, Mary Jane takes her eyes off of Rikki to get her cell phone out of her messenger bag. When she looks up, Rikki is gone. "Ugh! I can't believe I fell for that!"

"Neither can I," says a voice behind her.

 

 

000000000000000

 

**Up On the Roof**

 

  
It occurs to me as Barnes slowly peels off his leather glove and takes a threatening step towards the Friends of Humanity asshole that I'm stuck being the good cop in this interrogation. Barnes certainly isn't, not with the way he's scowling and Matt's wearing a goddamned devil suit. I bite back a sigh and lock stares with the moron, letting Barnes take the lead.

Except, he doesn't. He looks over at me and nods.

Our captive's gaze ticks from Barnes to me before he goes back to staring straight ahead, which confirms my hypothesis that he's ex-military. He had to have gotten his expertise with explosives somewhere and that's the best place to get on the job training. It's going to make him harder to crack but I don't have to crack him. I just have to get him to slip up and give me John Proctor's whereabouts. Considering he's arrogant enough to think he can hold out against the three of us, slipping up is inevitable.

"You fucked up," I tell the guy.

"Tyler," Matt puts in. "His name is Tyler Ptak. Corporal. Two tours in Afghanistan before being dishonorably discharged and going through a string of security guard jobs."

Petey's installation of JARVIS in Matt's cowl is definitely coming in handy. I'm going to have to buy the kid a candy bar or two because Tyler is already looking off-balance by the amount of information we have on him. "You fucked up, Tyler," I repeat. "It wasn't smart trying to blow up Barnes and his spider-kid and it definitely wasn't your best move throwing in with Friends of Humanity --"

"You goddamn freak," Tyler spits at me in a desperate attempt to shake _my_ confidence. "You think I don't know who you are, Jessica Jones? Friends of Humanity knows about _all_ of you and you don't scare me. Whatever you do to me is going to prove we're right. You're all a bunch of criminals running around in your tights pretending to give a damn about regular people."

There it is. Yet another reason to hate Kilgrave. Thanks to his bullshit, I've been outed. Not all the way, thank God, but enough to have been recognized if not as a freak myself, as a freak by association.

Barnes does that thing where the metal plates in his arm slowly whir and click into place, one after the other. He doesn't say a word. He doesn't have to because between the expression on his face and the arm thing, anyone with a lick of common sense would see that coming his way and piss his pants in fear.

"We're focusing on one regular person now, Tyler," Matt says, breaking his silence. His voice is pitched low and rough. "Three guesses who that is."

That's my cue to do something Good Cop-like. "Where is Desmond Daniels?"

Tyler doesn't answer. Instead, he does the stupid thing and smirks at Barnes.

Barnes' gaze slides to me, a cue for me to warn Tyler to play nice or get a face full of cybernetic fist.

Instead, I smack Tyler across the face. Hard.

He stares at me in shocked surprise.

"Shit luck, Tyler. You've got three bad cops," I tell him. "Now stop fucking around and tell us what we want to know or I flip a coin to see whether Daredevil or Barnes gets you next."

To drive the point home, Matt slaps his billy club against his palm and Barnes sets his metal plates into motion again, this time snapping into place with a threatening click.

Tyler sags slightly, the message that we're fucking serious finally sinking in. "Fine. I'll tell him." There's a long pause where I think Barnes really is going to have to deck this guy and then he opens his mouth. "Sputnik."

Just as I'm about to ask what the fuck _that_ means, Barnes collapses like a marionette with its strings cut. "Barnes!"

Matt rushes forward to grab Tyler, cursing loudly.

I take my eyes off of Barnes long enough to see Tyler foaming at the mouth and convulsing.

"Cyanide in a false tooth," Matt grates. "He's dead."

"He's fucking HYDRA. That's one of their signature moves," I tell Matt, checking again to make sure Barnes is breathing. "That means Friends of Humanity is fucking HYDRA. Hear that, Barnes? They're fucking HYDRA. You're right."

"He's unconscious," Matt tells me, kneeling next to Barnes. "Just unconscious. It must have been some kind of shut-down command HYDRA used on him. They wouldn't have a command to kill him, not after everything they invested in making him their perfect weapon."

"Bastards." I settle with Barnes' head in my lap and wait for my heart to make its way out of my throat. Not that it matters because Matt knows how freaked out I am. Damn him and his enhanced senses. "It doesn't make sense that HYDRA would do something as public as Friends of Humanity, does it?"

"No," Matt agrees. "They operate in the shadows."

"So probably, they infiltrated Friends and maybe manipulated their agenda to go after Barnes."

"If they discredit Barnes as a threat, that discredits Steve and the Avengers, as well as mutants." Matt's scowl is only slightly less scary than Barnes'. "Magneto is right. Registration is going to be the least of our worries if that happens."

"Which gives HYDRA an opening to do God knows what," I say. "I'm tired of them being ahead of us, Matt, and since dead men tell no tales, we've got squat."

"Not exactly," Matt smiles. "We have Tyler's cell phone and we have JARVIS. By the time Bucky wakes up, we'll have a new lead."

"What if we need a command to wake him up? What if he wakes up all Winter Soldier and dangerous?"

Matt is smirking at me now. "You sound exactly like a worried girlfriend, Jessica."

Of course I flip him off.

Barnes isn't my boyfriend.

But I might be a little worried about him.

 

  
000000000000

 

**Flying the Friendly Skies**

 

  
"You don't have to carry me."

That much is true. Erik could simply have wrapped Peter in a magnetic cocoon and brought him along that way. He could have. But he chose not to do so. "Should I have allowed you swing across two boroughs, concussed as you are? What do you suppose Sergeant Barnes would think of that?"

Peter huffs in defeat.

Erik tightens his grip on the boy. "We both know he wouldn't have allowed you out at all."

"And we both know I'd have gone anyway," Peter counters.

"True, but you'll be less likely to be grounded if I indulged you than if you defied Bucky," Erik points out, slowing as they approach Bay Ridge. "Therefore, less complaining may be in order and, perhaps, if you feel like being a civilized young person, you might thank me."

There's a long pause before Peter mutters a grudging 'thank you'.

Erik suppresses a smile as they circle slowly over the neighborhood until he locates the address they're looking for. He immediately notices the two boys guarding the entrance of the building and quickly detects the surveillance cameras and alarms. And then he sees Mary Jane.

She's got her head down, rummaging in her messenger bag and by the time they've landed behind her, she's realized that Rikki has abandoned her. "I can't believe I fell for that."

"Neither can I," Erik says.

Mary Jane yelps, turns and then pokes a finger into his chest. "Are you out of your mind, scaring me like that?!"

"Are _you_ out of your mind sneaking off on your own?!" Peter demands. "You and Rikki both. How am I supposed to keep you safe if you do crazy stuff like this?!"

"Gee, I don't know. Maybe I should sit at home with my diary and wait for you to tell me all about your adventures so I can live vicariously," Mary Jane shoots back. "And why is it crazy for us to check out a lead?"

Peter gestures at himself. "Do you wanna get blown up like Bucky and I did?"

Mary Jane stares at him. "You got blown up?"

"Or we flew through an explosion. I don't know," Peter says, flapping his arms in frustration. "Whatever. Bucky and Jessica Jones were arguing about it when they sent me back and I don't even know if there's a difference. All I know is, I've got a concussion --"

"So it's okay for you to play hero with a concussion and I can't check out a lead?" Mary Jane demands, hands on hips.

Erik steps between them. "Since you lost Sergeant Barnes' niece in the process, I'd have to agree with Peter."

Peter folds his arms over his chest and manages to look smug even with his mask.

"Of course, I also agree with you that Peter should be resting and not playing hero," Erik adds, watching Peter deflate under the criticism. "However, we now find ourselves in the unenviable position of having to go after Rikki without knowing what awaits us."

"Or," Mary Jane says with a grin, "I can go in undercover and find out."

"I hate that plan," Peter objects.

"I, however, do not," Erik says.

"But --"

"No need to fear, Peter, you'll be undercover, too."

"But --"

"Child, have you no faith in me?"

"Well --"

"Good." Erik beckons the children closer as he explains the plan. As long as he can avoid the Ol' Parker Luck, as Peter refers to it, he may yet avoid the wrath of Sergeant Barnes.

Of course he knows, that's wishful thinking. He hasn't lived this long without knowing that everything that can go wrong will go wrong in ways he's never imagined.

That's the Lehnsherr Luck in action and the Ol' Parker Luck pales in comparison.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ICYMI - I posted a one-shot Bucky Barnes Birthday Fic here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/10209434


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

 

 

 **The** **Need** **for** **Speed**

 

 

  
"Don't you have super powers?"

Tommy looks up from the laptop, where he's listlessly poking at the keys, so over doing research already. It's just him and that Trish lady here now. Malcolm had to go to his evening volunteer job and Kong had to go home. Tommy supposes he should head home too but then he'll have to explain where everyone else is so he's in no rush. For once. "Yeah, I have super powers."

Trish rests her chin on her hand and stares at him. "So why aren't you out there hero-ing?"

Tommy leans back in his chair, folds his arms over his chest and slants her a look. "Because I'm grounded."

"But you could help --"

"And piss off Bucky and Aunt May even more?" Tommy shakes his head. "Lady, I just got my head handed to me for sneaking out with Rikki last night and I'm about to get it handed to me again for cutting school. Even I'm smart enough not to live that dangerously and I'm related to freakin' Magneto."

Trish's eyes light up and she starts to open her mouth.

"I am _not_ talking to you about that. You wanna talk about what it's like to be his grandkid, go bother Billy." There's a soft chime and Tommy groans when he sees that JARVIS has found even more crap for him to read.

And then he notices the name of one of the files.

It's the name of one of the companies that keeps popping up as a majority holder of those stupid real estate investment trusts.

He opens the file and sees data about political contributions. Lots of them. Fortunately, JARVIS distilled all that down to the most important information, bypassing all the go-betweens and leaving him with the names of the politicians getting the money. The name that appears most is one that anybody with super powers knows. Especially mutants. "Senator Robert Kelly."

"What?" Trish asks.

"It's where the money leads," Tommy tells her, turning the laptop so she can see it. "The same people funding Friends of Humanity are donating money to that jerk and his registration agenda."

Trish leans in and looks at the file. "And _that_ trail leads to Roxxon!" She leans back heavily. "Holy crap, what a story! I could invite Kelly on my show and ---"

"Are you nuts? Roxxon's a front for HYDRA! You do that and you'll be landfill somewhere." Tommy slams the laptop shut.

She looks at him coolly. "So what are we supposed to do with that information?"

Tommy throws his hands up. "We let the people with the powers who aren't grounded figure that shit out. I mean, that's some Avengers or X-Men-level shit, right?"

"But it's news --"

"It's _suicide_ and I don't wanna find out what happens if that Jones chick gets pissed at me. She's even scarier than Bucky."

Trish grins at him. "That's because you don't know her like I do."

"And now _you're_ scaring me." He gets to his feet and channels his inner Peter, flapping his arms in frustration. "You people are _nuts_. All of you!"

"I hate to break it to you but you're one of the 'you people', Tommy," Trish says. "And since you are, we have a corrupt senator to expose. How would you like to be my intern and help me do it?"

"But --"

"Interns get paid."

"But --"

"And it looks good on your transcript."

"But --"

"And what we're about to do is a lot more subtle than blowing up a Roxxon lab or the Senator's house." She gives him a smug look, like she knows she's won. "How could Aunt May possibly be upset with you for that?"

Tommy channels his inner Peter again and buries his face in his hand.

He's a Parker now for sure and the Ol' Parker Luck is officially fucking him over.

He can only imagine all the ways this is going to go wrong.

 

 

  
00000000000

 

 

**It's Aliiiiive**

 

  
Barnes is instantly alert and aware of everything around him when he opens his eyes. Whether that's an ability he picked up serving in the Army or it's something HYDRA ingrained into him is debatable. It's also not his biggest concern. What is his biggest concern? It's hard to choose, not that making choices is easy on any given day. But at _this_ moment, there's just so much _shit_ for him to take in.

For starters, he's lost time. Judging by the sun's location, he's lost a little over an hour.

That brings him to his next concern -- he's not in Manhattan anymore. He's on a rooftop, but this building is six stories high, not twenty, and he's pretty sure he's in Brooklyn.

Jones is sitting across from him, which is a good thing.

She's got a fairly large pile of the weapons he was carrying, which is not.

And to top it all off, he's got that muzzy-headed feeling in his head like he's just come out of cryo and had the daylights shocked out of him. Barnes sits up slowly, noting that his head was pillowed on Jones' leather jacket and that she's wearing his. It's a smart move because she knows how much shit he hides in the lining. "What the hell happened?"

Jones' worried expression instantly becomes guarded. "What's your name?"

"What?!"

"What," she repeats slowly, "is your name? Do you remember it?"

Barnes puts it together then. He was out cold and she disarmed him, which means whatever the fuck happened made her worry that he's somehow lost control of himself. That he might be dangerous. So instead of giving her shit, like he would ordinarily do, he recites, "My name is James Buchanan Barnes. I live in Forest Hills, Queens with Peter and May Parker and Tommy Shepherd. You're Jessica Jones and... is this Fort Hamilton?"

Jones blows out a relieved breath. "Thank Christ. You scared the shit out of Matt."

Of course he did. "Speaking of the devil, where is he?"

"He's back in Manhattan with..." Jones trails off. "We should start at the beginning. What's the last thing you remember?"

Barnes kneels next to the pile of weapons and starts tucking them back where they belong while he thinks about the question. "We were questioning that asshole, Tyler," he says slowly. "And he was being a real dick. You said something about three bad cops and then... Jones, what the hell did he do to me?"

"He said a word, Barnes. One fucking word and you went down like a fighter with a glass jaw." She shrugs angrily out of his jacket and thrusts it at him. "And yes, Barnes, he was HYDRA. While Matt and I were checking on you, he was chomping on a cyanide suicide tooth. Matt's working with that cop he knows, Mahoney, giving him Tyler's cell phone so we can clear you of blowing up that building."

That explains the muzzy-headedness. "Professor X said there might be more triggers..."

"No shit!" Jones snaps, snatching up her jacket before straightening to stare at him. "Wait. More? So we could be having a conversation and I just innocently say a word and --"

"The words would probably be in Russian. And Professor X got rid of a lot of them a couple of months ago --"

"Well, apparently, he missed one."

Barnes sucks in a deep breath, holds it and exhales but it does nothing for the washed-out feeling left over from the shut-down code. "You know I've got brain damage from the shit HYDRA did to me. It's healing and along with the good stuff coming back like memories and feelings, apparently I get shitty stuff like triggers. Professor X said I should come get a check up. Guess he was right, huh?"

Jones glares at him. "How fucking dangerous are you to be around right now?"

"As long as nobody else says the wrong thing, no more than usual," Barnes says, hoping he looks nonchalant. "This word Tyler used... Is it something that's gonna come up in casual conversation?"

"Not unless you're talking about the history of the Russian space program."

Barnes gapes at her. " _Sputnik_? The fuckin' shut down code was _Sputnik_?"

It's Jones' turn to gape. "Are you fucking crazy saying that?!"

"I can't trigger _myself_ , Jones." He rolls his eyes. "The thing is, Petey and I watched a bunch of documentaries about the space race and we even talked about Sputnik but nothing happened."

"Maybe it has to be said a certain way?" Jones suggests. "Like as a command?"

Barnes blows out a frustrated sigh. "Maybe I'm too dangerous to be around people with all this unpredictable shit in my head, popping up without warning."

Jones smirks at him but it lacks her usual intensity. "Well, now I know you've got an off switch. Shit, if I'd known _that_ existed, I'd have been using it for months when you got on my nerves."

"HYDRA knew about it. Why wait until now? They could've used it ---"

"Barnes, as interesting as this conversation is, we're in Fort Hamilton for a reason," Jones cuts him off. "Rikki and Mary Jane found out where that asshole Desmond Daniels is probably holed up. Peter and Magneto went after them --"

"Wait," Barnes cuts her off. "Back up. Rikki and Mary Jane went off on their own?"

"Hold that thought. Petey and Magneto went after them."

"Petey. With his concussion."

She holds up her hands. "I'm just sharing the facts as they exist, Barnes. Now, you can argue with me or we can get the fuck over there before Magneto makes an even bigger mess of things."

Barnes hesitates. "Other people might know that code."

"If anyone tries saying 'Sputnik', I'll kick them in the balls so hard they won't speak for a month without squeaking." It takes her mind a second to catch up with her mouth. "Oh fuck. Barnes!"

There's a fraction of a second where he considers fucking with her but he just shakes his head. "I'm fine."

Her eyes narrow. "Dostoyevsky."

"Jones."

"Glasnost."

"Jones."

"Perestroika."

"Really?" Barnes flips her off. "You need to learn more Russian."

Jones returns the gesture. "You're an asshole, Barnes. And when this is over, I'm taking you to get your head examined."

It's as close to her admitting she was worried and she cares as he's going to get.

He'll take it.

 

 

 

 

 


	23. Chapter 23

 

 

  
**Secret Invasion**

 

  
"Put these on," Magneto orders, shoving a bundle of clothing towards Peter as he lands gracefully on the roof of the apartment building where Peter and Mary Jane have been waiting for him.

Peter eyes the sweatshirt, jeans and sneakers suspiciously. They're brand new and look a lot more expensive than he what he usually wears. The price tag on the jeans declares them to cost a whopping two hundred and fifty dollars and Peter decides not to bother reading the rest of the tags. "Did you steal these?"

"Peter!" Mary Jane scolds him. "That's rude!"

The stern expression Magneto turns on Peter is even more embarrassing than being scolded by Mary Jane. "I've defeated armies, boy. I've beaten down the X-Men time and again. Surely you would agree that shoplifting is beneath me."

Chastened, Peter apologizes. "Sorry."

But it's only after the apology is out of his mouth and the clothes are in his hands that he realizes that wasn't exactly a denial. The look Mary Jane is shooting him says she noticed it too and is warning him not to say another word on the subject. With a sigh, Peter pulls the clothes on over his Spidey suit and he muses that it's not just his concussion that's making him have a bad feeling about this entire 'rescue' operation. Still, Rikki hasn't come out of A&S Provisions and that's giving him an even worse feeling because either she won't come out or she can't come out. Not that it makes any kind of difference. She shouldn't be in there in the first place and Peter knows Bucky is going to go ballistic when he finds out everything that's happened.

Magneto nods his approval at Peter's disguise and then fashions a pair of metal eyeglass frames from the metal threads of his costume. He places them on Peter's face and then runs a hand through Peter's hair, trying to tame it. "There. You're presentable. Now remember, we agreed that you will let Mary Jane do the talking."

"But --"

"First of all," Magneto lectures, "you are severely concussed and therefore not at your best performance. Secondly, you are a horrible liar, perhaps one of the worst I've ever encountered. Better they think you are slightly stupid and inarticulate, no?"

Peter's mouth drops open. "Dude --"

"Erik. Magneto, if you must," Magneto says with a put-upon sigh, like he's one of Peter's teachers at school and Peter's late for class _again,_  "but never, ever call me 'dude' again. Surely I've earned at least that modicum of respect from you." He concludes the lecture by shaking a disappointed finger in Peter's direction.

Shoulders slumping under the weight of that disapproval, Peter mutters, "I'm _not_ a horrible liar."

"You ain't the best, either," Bucky growls from behind him as he and Jones thump down noisily onto the roof. It's only Bucky's grip around Jones' waist that keeps her upright. The two of them look even worse for wear than when Peter saw them last. Bucky, especially. "Didn't you promise me you were going to sleep off that concussion?"

"I-I was going to but --"

"Rikki ran off," Mary Jane jumps to Peter's defense. "I took my eyes off her for just a second to call you and ---"

"What was she doing here in the first place? What were _you_ doing here?!" Bucky demands. "You two should know better than to --"

"The responsibility rests with me," Magneto says, draping protective arms around Peter and Mary Jane and pulling them to his sides, as if they might actually be in danger.

Bucky's jaw clenches as he rounds on Magneto. "Damn right it does. What the hell were you doing when all this happened? You were supposed to be watching over them not encouraging them to get into even more fucking trouble!"

"Sputnik," Jones says, which makes absolutely _no_ sense whatsoever.

Bucky's head whips in her direction. "Cut that out!"

"You're being an asshole, Barnes," Jones tells him. "You want to go crazy and yell at people, do it after we've got Rikki back instead of wasting time and probably drawing the attention of those Friends of Humanity assholes." She turns to Magneto and nods in Peter's direction. "You're planning on sending in these two undercover?"

"By using the connection with JARVIS in Peter's suit, we'll have audio and visual which will not only permit us to gather intelligence but also admissible evidence," Magneto says with a cool smile that only gets cooler as he turns to Bucky. "If you'd rather be reckless, I can simply tear the roof off of the building and we can launch an all-out assault without any idea what we're getting ourselves into. Truly, I wouldn't mind either option."

Bucky starts to open his mouth.

"Sputnik, Barnes," Jones says again while Peter and Mary Jane exchange confused looks, wondering what _that's_ all about.

Bucky flips her off. "That's a _terrible_ plan."

Jones folds her arms over her chest and stares at him. "Do you have a better one, dumbass?"

Instead of answering, Bucky avoids the question like a pro. "Petey's in no condition to go in there --"

"That's why Mary Jane is going with him." Jones shoots back.

"Because putting her in danger is a fucking brilliant idea."

"Is it any better than breaking into an ATCU facility and getting chased across the world by Sentinels and getting blown up today because you thought you should disarm a whole goddamned building full of bombs?!"

"We flew _through_ \--"

" _Blown up_ , Barnes!"

"You can't honestly think Magneto's plan is any better than one of mine," Bucky says, raising both hands plaintively at Jones. "How many times have the X-Men kicked his ass? Hell, Petey and Jessica --"

"I am still waiting to hear your superior suggestion," Magneto puts in. "I'm certain the good people of Bay Ridge have been wanting to completely rebuild their homes and businesses and having those leveled in an explosion would only improve their lot in life."

Mary Jane elbows Peter and whispers. "We should get going."

Peter gapes at her while behind them the bickering just grows more intense. "But --"

"By the time they're done arguing, we'll know if Rikki's okay and maybe even have enough evidence to call the cops or the FBI or whatever," Mary Jane says. "We might even find John. Besides, I've got you and your Spidey sense to protect me, right?"

"Well ---"

"Come on, tiger." She heads to the edge of the roof and crooks her finger. "Time's a-wasting."

Peter knows he's going to regret this.

He regrets it already.

 

 

  
0000000000000

 

**Mary Jane Watson - Sorta Superhero**

 

  
She can do this, Mary Jane tells herself. Sure she can. And if she can't she's got Peter to protect her until Bucky, Erik and Jones get there to rip the roof off of the building. Assuming they're paying attention and not yelling 'Sputnik' at each other. Whatever that means. Probably, it's better if she doesn't know.

Peter shuffles along beside her, growing more tense with every step they take towards the two guys standing guard outside of A&S Provisions. They're older and taller than he is, broader and, as Mary Jane steps up to them, she notices they have a lot of tattoos.

The one with the soul patch glares down at her. "You're in the wrong place, kids. Get lost."

"I don't think so," Mary Jane says, steeling herself. This is where the rubber meets the road and she finds out if being the lead in the eighth grade Sing makes her a good enough actress to be convincing to these Neanderthals. "I think we're in exactly the right place if we don't like freaks."

Neck Tattoo nods towards Peter. "Looks like you don't mind 'em that much."

"We go to Midtown High," Mary Jane says icily, stepping hard on Peter's foot to remind him to keep his mouth shut. "Every freak on the planet shows up there. He got into a fight with a bunch of Spider-Man fans."

"Got his ass kicked, looks like," Neck Tattoo says. His posture is starting to relax, which means Mary Jane is on the right track. "Goddamn mutie lovers."

"It's turning into a city full of freaks," Peter complains and Mary Jane can't believe how convincing he sounds. "Everywhere you turn, they're flying around and blowing people up. I can't even go to school in peace."

"Easy there, nerd," Soul Patch says, patting Peter on the head.

Peter glares at him and swats his hand away. "Get off!"

"I can see how he got his ass kicked," Neck Tattoo smirks.

"A kid at school has a cousin who goes to ESU and he told us this was the place where we could go and do something about it," Mary Jane says, grabbing Peter's wrist and squeezing before he opens his mouth again.

"Yeah?" Neck Tattoo cocks his head at her. "And who's the cousin?"

"Lance Weiderman." Mary Jane sends a silent thanks to JARVIS for giving her the name of Charlie Weiderman's cousin's brother, also known as his cousin or whatever. She doesn't even want to get into that. Like, ever.

Soul Patch nearly doubles over with laughter and elbows Neck Tattoo. "Dude, your name is _Lance_?"

Neck Tattoo flips him off. "Call me W."

"Like the President?" Peter asks.

W gives him a blank look.

"George W. Bush," Peter clarifies.

"Damn, you really are a nerd." W drapes an arm around Peter's shoulders. "Well, come on, little dork. I'm sure we can find something for you to do to help the cause." He winks at Mary Jane. "Your hot girlfriend helps just by being around."

Mary Jane can hear Peter's teeth grind as they follow W into the bad guys' lair.

 

00000000000000

 

**Regrets, He's Had a Few**

 

Peter agrees with Bucky. He hates this plan. Ripping the roof was definitely the way to go. If they'd ripped the roof off, he'd be in his Spidey suit, kicking butts instead of watching these two losers ogle Mary Jane's. Between the ogling and the anti-mutant crap he's being forced to listen to, Peter's just about ready to rip the roof off the place with his bare hands.

W and Soul Patch, who still hasn't mentioned his name, lead Peter and MJ past a group of increasingly dangerous-looking biker-type guys. JARVIS, Peter is sure, is keeping count, running facial recognition against the law enforcement databases and giving a running tally to Bucky. If he's paying attention and not not still arguing with Magneto and Jones. If he's not, then Peter might have to handle all twenty or so of these guys on his own. And they are all guys. There are no women here, which given who they're dealing with, isn't exactly shocking. Then again, maybe there's a women's chapter somewhere else.

Finally, they stop outside an office and Soul Patch knocks. "Yo, Mister D, we got a coupl'a new recruits."

Peter's Spidey sense isn't tingling. Not yet. But he's on high alert anyway. After all, there's only one person 'Mister D' could be. He hopes Bucky and Jones are paying attention now.

The door opens and there he is. Desmond Daniels looks like a math teacher or an insurance salesman. He's wearing a grey suit that Tony Stark wouldn't use to wipe down his armor and he's got the mother of all comb-overs.

Peter can't believe _this_ guy is the mastermind behind Friends of Humanity.

Until Daniels opens his mouth, that is. He scowls at W and asks, "What the hell is this?"

"They go to Midtown High, Mister D," W explains. He may not be the brightest bulb in the fixture but he quickly picks up on the fact that Daniels isn't happy with him. "I-I thought --"

"You're not here to think. You're here to guard the entrance," Daniels hisses. "And if you're inside with these two, you're not even doing that, are you?"

Peter tries to peer around Daniels to get a look into the office and he knows MJ is doing the same thing.

"We have background checks," Daniels snarls. "How do you know these aren't a pair of mutie freaks trying to hurt us? Or mutie lovers?" He goes to grab Mary Jane but Peter shoves himself between them.

Daniels grabs Peter's arm and it would probably hurt if he weren't Spidey so Peter does his best to pretend. "Ow! Hey --!"

"Shut up!" Daniels backhands him and then directs his ire at W and Soul Patch again. "Don't you two morons think it's more than a coincidence that not one but _three_ little kids showed up here today?!"

Bingo. Rikki is here. "Dude, we're not --"

"I said shut up!" Daniels smacks him again and then grabs Peter by the hair. "Bring her, Darren."

Peter lets himself be dragged into the office and even though he knows its part of the plan, he doesn't like the way Darren Soul Patch is manhandling Mary Jane.

Apparently, neither does Mary Jane. She stomps down on Darren's foot with her steel-toed Doc Martens. He howls in pain but he lets go.

It's too late. Two of the burliest biker dudes are there to back up Darren and W. Mary Jane raises her hands in surrender.

"Put them with the Barnes brat," Daniels orders them.

Mary Jane's eyes meet Peter's.

He nods.

The roof is going to come off any second.

 

 

 

 


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

 

**  
Tear the Roof Off The Sucker**

 

  
"Have either of you two dumbasses noticed that Petey and Mary Jane are gone?" I ask, not because that's really the point. The point is that the kids have made enough progress in finding both Desmond Daniels and Rikki that it's time for us to go in. Whether that means tearing the fucking roof off the building or Barnes going in there and shooting everything that moves, there's no way we're going in quietly.

We don't do anything quietly.

Barnes and Magneto stop their bickering to look around, just in case I might be making this shit up and then Barnes swears loudly and creatively, in both English and Russian. "I'm gonna put those kids on fuckin' leashes!"

"Perhaps you could do what parents have done for millennia," Magneto snarks, "which is to pay attention to your children's whereabouts."

Barnes' eyes flash dangerously. "Yeah? And where are _your_ kids and grandkids, smartass?"

Magneto smirks and is about to give Barnes an answer he won't like -- one that involves Petey being one of his grandkids, probably. I head _that_ confrontation off by saying, "Do either of you want to see the video and data JARVIS has been sending while you two were arguing pointlessly?"

In an instant, Barnes is all business, his attention laser-focused on me now. "What've we got, Jones?"

"We've got a couple dozen armed ex-Dogs of Hell, two useless lookouts and Desmond Daniels smacking Petey around before locking Petey and Mary Jane in the basement with Rikki." I hold up my cell phone and Barnes snatches it from my hand.

A ferocious scowl crosses Barnes' face as he looks at the video but it's nothing compared to the thunderous look on Magneto's as he watches Daniels slapping Petey over Barnes' shoulder. I don't have to be a psychic to know that Daniels is going to pay for that. Big time.

The plates in Barnes' arm click, whir and snap into place as he goes into combat mode and there's the faintest tingle of static electricity in the air coming off of Magneto.

"We can still pursue this the proper way, by calling the police," Magneto suggests, voice velvet soft, "and reporting the kidnapping of three helpless children."

Barnes and I both stare at him because Magneto is making fucking sense and the words 'voice of reason' and 'Magneto' don't belong in the same sentence. I recover my wits first. "He's right, Barnes --"

"The cops show up and it's gonna get ugly," Barnes interrupts, thrusting the phone under my nose. "See those crates? Those are guns and C-4. Daniels isn't gonna go down without a fight."

Magneto smiles and it's suddenly obvious to me that he was never the voice of reason. Tearing the fucking roof off and beating the shit out of Friends of Humanity was his goal all along. "Then we shall give them a fight they will never forget."

He rises into the air at the same time Barnes leaps off the roof in what's now a race to kick Daniels' ass first.

I hang back to do the smart thing, telling JARVIS to call Mahoney, even if this is out of his jurisdiction. Given the size of the mess we're about to make, we need a cop we can trust at our backs when the SWAT team inevitably shows up to arrest everyone.

Then I take a deep breath and go after the assholes while I wonder when I became the responsible one.

Must be the company I'm keeping.

Trish is going to laugh her ass off when I tell her.

 

 

00000000000000000

 

**Playing Possum**

 

Peter puts up a token resistance as the huge smelly biker dude shoves him into a chair and duct tapes his wrists together while his companion does the same to Mary Jane. They don't even bother checking on Rikki, who is slumped miserably in a chair of her own, before turning to go back upstairs. The heavy metal door slams shut behind them and Peter can hear the bolt being slid into place.

Silence settles and then Mary Jane shifts in her seat as she tells Rikki, "Bucky's on his way to rescue us."

Peter's mouth drops open and then he says indignantly, "Um, you do realize I'm a big-time superhero too, right? Don't need to be rescued? As in, I can rescue myself and both of you?"

"And you realize those guys saw your face, right?" Mary Jane counters. "As in, can be added to the very long list of people who know who you are?"

"They don't know --"

"Darren and W know we go to Midtown High," she interrupts him. "Even with over three thousand kids in our school, it'd be pretty easy to track us down."

"You think they even remember? They're not the sharpest crayons in the pack," Peter shoots back. He nods towards the crates stacked across from them. "Besides, you really want to be around all of that plastic explosive and whatever else is in those boxes?"

Mary Jane slants him a look. "You need a detonator to make plastic explosives go boom. I learned that on TV, just like you did."

Peter heaves a sigh and sags in his chair, grumbling, "I hate being rescued."

"Maybe you do but Rikki and I don't," Mary Jane says. "Right, Rikki?"

"John's dead," Rikki says quietly.

Mary Jane and Peter exchange shares before Mary Jane asks, "Are you sure? Did they tell you that?"

Rikki raises her head and straightens in her seat. Even though her eyes are red and puffy, she's wearing a scowl that's almost as scary as one of Bucky's. "That Daniels guy _bragged_ about it. He said John overdosed and that Ringer guy..." She sucks in a deep breath. "He dumped John's body somewhere in New Jersey. John never even made it to New York and now there's not even a body to take home."

"Jessica will find him," Mary Jane promises, even though Peter isn't sure that's a promise she should be making because New Jersey is full of places where bodies can be hidden permanently. "It's what she does and she's really good at it."

The building shakes, followed by the groaning of every metal support beam. For a heartbeat, everything is deathly still and then there's a freight train like sound that Peter instantly recognizes as a building collapsing or -- in this case -- being torn apart as its roof is ripped off.

He tears free of the tape and then frees Mary Jane just as some idiot starts shooting and the rest of the idiots join in. "Get Rikki loose," Peter orders, yanking off his overpriced clothes and sliding his webshooters into place. "Then take cover --"

"You want us to hide?!" Rikki protests.

"Hear all that gunfire?" Peter counters. "Are you bulletproof?"

"Are you?"

"No, but I have a healing factor and the proportional strength of a spider." Peter pushes a couple of metal shelf units together, forming a barricade. "Bucky'll ground me forever if anything happens to you. Get down and stay down. That goes for you too, MJ."

"But --"

Peter doesn't wait to hear the rest of what Mary Jane has to say, though he knows that when he hears it later, it's going to be a lot angrier and include her calling him a butt-head, among other things. He leaps straight up the stairs and kicks the door off its hinges as he goes. Sure he's showing off, but how often does he get to show MJ what he can really do? And besides, everyone else is showing off, ripping roofs off of buildings and shooting guns and whatnot.

He can only hope that MJ and Rikki don't decide to show off too.

 

  
00000000000000000

  
**The Truth About Mutants**

 

Barnes knows why people hate mutants, especially Magneto. Ask Petey why people hate mutants and the kid swears it's because they ingratiate themselves into and invade families. It isn't that, not that Magneto's sudden status as a Parker relative doesn't kind of annoy Barnes.

It's not because they have unimaginable and sometimes scary powers. At least that's not the reason for Barnes.

The reason people hate mutants is because they're all a bunch of show-offs. Whether it's Wolverine flashing his claws and declaring himself to be the best there is as what he does -- which Barnes is sure is being a complete asshole -- or pulling a goddamned roof off of a building, there's no denying that pulling the goddamned roof off of the building was a show-off move. And it makes the entire structure unstable, for fuck's sake. If Magneto's showing off ended there, Barnes supposes he could tolerate it.

But it doesn't.

Nope.

Eighteen enemy hostiles have opened fire and Magneto -- showing off again -- caught every single bullet, including the ones Barnes fired back.

That would be annoying enough, but the Asshole of Magnetism is using his powers to hold Barnes back by his metal arm.

Suddenly, there's a loud crash and then the steel door to the basement goes flying, kicked right off its hinges by Petey, who's also decided this is the time to show off, apparently. What happens next is nothing less than the Ol' Parker Luck in action.

The door gets caught up in Magneto's magnetic vortex and goes hurtling straight at him, breaking his concentration.

All of the bullets he's holding drop to the floor.

Barnes is set free.

The door smashes into Magneto. Hard.

Magneto drops like a fucking brick as everybody starts shooting again.

The Ol' Parker Luck.

It's a beautiful thing.

"Welcome to the family, _Erik_ ," Barnes grins as he leaps into action.

 

 

 


	25. Chapter 25

  
Chapter 25

  
**And Now, The News**

 

Up until now, Tommy never thought much about any kind of career. He's suffered through a couple of Career Weeks at both Midtown High and his previous high school and every job option looked boring as hell. And slow. So freaking mind-numbingly slow. Tommy had no idea how fast-paced working for a news show could be, even a soft one like Trish Talk.

Her regular team warned him that when Trish got going it was going to be hard to keep up and he should try not to be intimidated or feel overwhelmed. Tommy isn't. Not by a long shot. Trish spits out orders faster than normal people can handle them but he's a speedster and he can take everything she dishes out -- and make her a coffee while he does because he can make the water boil almost instantly.

"You're the best intern ever," Trish tells him, as he hands her the steaming cup of coffee and the stack of print-outs. "How much more do you have to do?"

"There's two more jobs printing," Tommy says and he can't help puffing his chest out proudly. Praise is still something he's not used to, especially from someone he just met let alone someone famous. "You need a faster printer."

Trish looks up from the report she's reading and grins wickedly at him. "I'll bet Tony Stark has one."

"I'll ask JARVIS and if there is, I'll get it over here in a minute," Tommy offers, whipping out his cell phone and texting JARVIS. The response lights up his screen a fraction of a second later because JARVIS is also pretty damn fast. "On my way --"

"Wait!"

Tommy freezes, wondering what he did wrong and if he's being fired.

Trish levels a look at him and makes a show of looking at her watch. "You need a fifteen minute break and something to eat."

"But --"

"Union rules." She reaches for her overpriced designer handbag, pulls out her wallet and stuffs cash into his hand. "I'm buying. See you in fifteen minutes with that printer."

Tommy snaps her a salute Bucky would approve of. Maybe. "Yes, ma'am."

Trish's attention is back on her reading and the notes she's scrawling in the margins of each page but as Tommy turns to leave he hears her say under her breath, "Best intern ever."

He promises himself to be back in ten minutes, union rules be damned, if they even exist for interns.

There's no way he wants to miss a second of his possible new career.

 

00000000000

 

**Buy One Concussion, Get Three Free**

 

  
I arrive there just in time to see the Asshole of Magnetism smack himself full-on with a metal door. Half a second later, Barnes is punching his way through an army of bikers as he makes his way to the office where I figure Desmond Daniels is hiding. Barnes is eerily efficient, using his metal palm to deflect bullets, knives and chains and taking out each human obstacle in his path, usually with a single blow. Petey is no less efficient, webbing and talking a mile a minute.

As for me, it takes me longer than I'd prefer to think about to get to where Magneto is laying and grabbing the two dumbasses who are kicking him while he's down. I slam their heads together but it doesn't knock them out. They're too high to notice but not high enough not to get pissed off at me. PCP, probably, I think and prepare myself for a long-drawn out fight until they're realize they're too hurt to get back up.

It occurs to me as they come at me that I probably should have taken Barnes up on his endless offers to teach me to fight. Petey seems like he's learned a lot, even if he mostly uses webs on these guys. I've seen him take on killer robots so I know that he's not using his fists because he doesn't want to accidentally hurt anyone. Me, I don't care so much. After all, these assholes don't care if they hurt me. Just as I start to get annoyed about how they won't fall down already, Petey swings in, kicks them across the room and webs them to the wall.

"Are you okay?" he asks me. "Is Erik okay?"

I don't bother answering about my own state of well-being as I crouch next to Magneto and ease his helmet off. There's a good-sized lump on his head but his eyes open and from the way he looks unsteadily at me, I know he's just joined the concussion club. "He'll live."

Magneto, in a fit of stubbornness that makes me immediately jealous, manages to sit himself upright. "What happened?"

"Um..." Petey stammers. "Uh... Well --"

"The Ol' Parker Luck got you," I tell Magneto and elbow Petey hard so he knows not to open his mouth. "And these assholes over here were kicking you while you were down."

Magneto looks over to where he somehow managed to throw the steel door so that it didn't land on top of him and then to the assholes Petey webbed to the wall. He rubs the bump on his head and looks around at the rest of the unconscious thugs that Barnes and Petey took out. Finally, he looks over at the door that they were all trying to keep Barnes away from, the one Daniels was hiding behind.

It's wide open and Barnes is standing at the threshold.

And then we hear the gunshot.

 

0000000000000000

 

 

**Basement Blues**

 

 

Mary Jane is furious even though she knows Peter means well. Even though she knows he's probably right. Hiding in the basement is such --- well, she's not supposed to use that kind of language. "What do you think is happening up there?"

"Uncle Bucky is kicking ass," Rikki says. She grunts softly and when Mary Jane turns around, she sees that Rikki is lifting the top off of one of the crates. With a triumphant smile, Rikki pulls out a scary looking gun. "Help me find the bullets for this."

"No!" Mary Jane tries to grab the gun from Rikki but she's holding it too tightly. "Put that down! You don't even know how to --"

Rikki levels a look at her. "You point, aim and shoot."

"And who do you think you're going to point, aim and shoot at?" Mary Jane demands, not that she doesn't know. She's just trying to stall so that Bucky takes care of business and Rikki doesn't get a chance to do something stupid.

"You know who," Rikki snaps. She turns, reaches into another box and pulls out a box of ammunition.

Before Mary Jane can say anything else, W comes running down the stairs. "Dude, you gotta hide me! Magneto is freaking _pissed_ and so is that chick and so is Spider-Man."

His entrance is all the distraction Rikki needs to run up the stairs before Mary Jane can stop her.

"Hey," W says, looking at the pile of clothes Peter left behind on the floor, "is that dorky kid Spider-Man?"

Mary Jane rolls her eyes and curses the Ol' Parker Luck.

There's no other explanation.

 

 

000000000000000

 

 

**Point, Aim and Shoot**

 

  
Barnes gets to the office door just as Rikki pulls the trigger. He's relieved that her shot missed Daniels by a mile, no doubt due to both her shaking hands and her lousy aim because she's probably never held a gun before. Daniels' eyes cut to him and focus on the gun in Barnes' hand. Whatever color may have been left in the man's face drains immediately.

"Put the gun down, Rikki," Barnes says quietly.

She shakes her head, a stubborn Barnes girl to the last. "He's gotta pay."

"Of course he's gonna pay," Barnes promises her, holding out his right hand for Rikki's gun while his left keeps steady aim at Daniels. "There's enough evidence here to put him away for ---"

"He killed John!"

Barnes nearly crushes the gun he's holding. His gaze ticks to Daniels and he doesn't even need to ask if what Rikki just said is true. The man's expression says it all.

"H-he overdosed," Daniels stammers. "It - it wasn't my fault --"

"Who gave him the drugs?!" Barnes snarls, snatching the gun from Rikki before she even realizes he's done it. "Who dragged him into this --?!"

"He was a piece of human garbage," Daniels shoots back, suddenly finding his spine again. "You think that kid was ever going to amount to anything other than being a junkie and a drain on society?"

Barnes knows Daniels is probably right. John wasn't an innocent angel. He was on his way to becoming a career criminal and dying of an overdose on his own, according to everything in Jones' dossier.

"That didn't give you the right to toss him away like garbage," Rikki shouts. She turns to Barnes. "He dumped John's body somewhere in New Jersey."

"Not personally," Barnes hisses. "Right, Daniels? You just gave the order. Just like you gave the order to blow up the Xavier Center. Killing defenseless kids is easy for you when you don't have to get your hands dirty, ain't it?" With that, he throws Rikki's gun at Daniels' feet. "Go on. Pick it up and let's see if you've got the guts to do your own dirty work, you sonofabitch."

Daniels doesn't move. Of course he doesn't. Anyone with half a brain wouldn't challenge the Winter Soldier to a gunfight.

Barnes bares his teeth in an approximation of a smile and fires a shot that parts Daniels' hair. "I said, pick it up."

Just as Daniels starts to move, the gun slides across the floor away from him and into Magneto's outstretched hand. "Were you going to kill him in front of the child?"

"Was gonna give her the option," Barnes lies. His heart kicks once at the lie and then settles back into rhythm especially when he sees Jones reach in and shove Rikki unceremoniously out of the room before slamming the door shut. "Now I'm gonna give _you_ the option."

"I can't let you kill him," Magneto counters. He smiles coldly at Daniels who is now trembling at the prospect of death from either man. "The murder of your great grand nephew is a truly tragic thing but this man is responsible for the deaths of over thirty mutant children that we know of. How many do we not know of, Mr. Daniels? Unburden yourself of your many sins. Confess to Sergeant Barnes and myself."

"It was Kelly's idea," Daniels blurts, in a desperate appeal to Jones. "Senator Robert Kelly. He's the one that gave us the money, gave us the connections to get the guns and the explosives --"

"To provoke Magneto," Jones cuts him off. "And Barnes. To show the whole world how dangerous people with powers are, right? So Kelly could get support for his registration act."

"No doubt with the assistance of Henry Gyrich," Magneto adds. "Chair of the Commission on Super Human Affairs. Tell me, Mr. Daniels, other than your word, what proof do you have of this deep, dark government conspiracy?"

Barnes can feel control of the situation slipping from him but instead of being angry about it, he's grateful. He's not going to kill Daniels. At least, not yet and probably not before one of Gyrich's spooks does it first to prevent him from testifying. Rikki won't have to think of him as a cold-blooded killer but as someone who helped bring down an entire conspiracy.

He can live with that.

And he can only assume Magneto's willingness to let the courts have Daniels is because he's got a family now, both his own and Petey's.

Doing the right thing goes hand in hand with the Ol' Parker Luck.

Magneto, for better or for worse, is a Parker now.

 

 

 

 

 


	26. Chapter 26

  
Chapter 26

  
**Homecoming**

 

May is in bed, watching the numbers change on her alarm clock before it goes off in another seventeen minutes. What she’s really doing is listening for the sound of Bucky or Peter opening the front door, Peter or Bucky sneaking in through a bedroom window or Tommy making the slightest noise to let her know he’s finally home.

She’s been waiting and listening all night.

She tries not to worry, knows that Bucky watches over Peter and Tommy like a hawk and that he’ll scold them for being careless without hesitation. It’s easier to not panic every time the three of them disappear for hours because of Bucky. But it’s still not as easy as she tries to make it look, especially when her precious family has been gone all day and all night and there was a story on the news about Peter and Bucky being involved in an explosion.

The worry finally overtook her around three in the morning when she tried to call Steve, only to find out from JARVIS that he and the other Avengers were out of the country, that Matt was unreachable and that Jessica Jones was with Bucky. Of course. Jessica Jones is one of the reasons May worries less about Bucky. On the other hand, she also worries about Jessica, even if Jessica doesn’t want to be worried about.

Finally, she hears it, the sounds of traffic outside getting louder then softer which is her way of knowing that Peter just climbed in his bedroom window. May leaps out of bed, runs down the hallway and flings open the door to Peter’s bedroom without knocking.

Peter yelps loudly, half in and half out of his costume, yanking it back up but not before she’s seen the rainbow of bruising covering his torso. “Uh… hi?”

“You’re grounded.” It comes out reflexively, a sign of how exhausted, frustrated and worried she is, because her first question should have been about Bucky and Tommy.

“But —“

She goes with it, because they would have gotten to Peter being grounded eventually. “You were out all night on a school night and you cut class, Peter.”

“Erik said he’d write a note,” Peter protests.

May arranges her face into what she hopes is a stern expression. “You _know_ Erik can’t do that, Peter —“

“Bucky already grounded me,” Peter admits.

“Bucky’s lucky I don’t ground _him_ for letting this get so out of hand.”

“He’d let you,” Peter says, the corners of his mouth quirking slightly.

May shakes a finger at him and the smile fades immediately. “I’m serious, Peter! You were gone all day and all night without a word and now you come home looking like you’ve gone ten rounds with…with…”

“I’m fine, Aunt May.”

May doesn’t say a word.

“Okay, I have a concussion and stuff but —“

“But what about everyone else,” May interrupts. “Where are they?”

“They’re all okay,” Peter says to her relief before adding, “Mostly.”

May waits but he doesn’t elaborate which makes her anxiety level ratchet up even more. “What do you mean ‘mostly,’ Peter?”

He takes a deep breath and looks pained. “Bucky’s nephew… he, uh, kind of overdosed.”

She knows without asking that John is dead and her heart aches for Bucky and Rikki but it still doesn’t tell her what she needs to know, which is where _all_ of her family is.

“Bucky and Jones went to find his body,” Peter says softly. “Erik took Rikki to Becca’s.”

“What about Tommy?” May has to force herself to focus on Tommy instead of Bucky who’s looking for the body of a family member he’s never met or poor Rikki who needs family now more than ever.

“What about him?”

“Where is he?”

“Isn’t he here?” Peter catches May’s expression and quickly adds, “He knew he was in trouble so he stayed behind at Jones’ place, doing research with Kong and Malcolm —“

May stares at him. “Peter, how many of you cut school yesterday?”

He swallows nervously. “Uh, all of us. Kong, MJ, Tommy and me. And Rikki, if you want to include her.”

“Erik and I are going to have a long talk,” she says at last.

“Maybe you can ground him.”

“Don’t think I can’t.”

Peter tugs his costume back into place. “I’ll go look for Tommy —“

“Don’t bother, loser, I’m here.” Tommy strolls in, walks over to Peter’s clock radio and turns it on. “I wanted to be here when you found out you’re not the only one with a cool after school job. I’m Trish Walker’s new intern and we spent all night getting ready to expose Friends of Humanity this morning.”

“You’re grounded,” Aunt May tells him and she starts to wonder if grounding Bucky and Erik might do the two of them some good and if she could actually do it.

“I’m already grounded.”

“You’re grounded more.”

“But Trish —“

“We have rules in this house,” May says firmly. “Both of you know that and you are _both_ grounded. Bucky and I will discuss exactly what that entails.”

Tommy turns the sound up on the radio as the Trish Talk theme begins to play. “Just listen. Please?”

“Good morning and welcome to Trish Talk,” comes Trish Walker’s usually soothing voice. Today, that voice has an angry edge. “We’re going to talk about why Friends of Humanity is nobody’s friend and what their real agenda is. I also have a couple of special guests coming on shortly. But first, I’d like to thank my intern, Tommy Shepherd, for going above and beyond to help make today’s episode possible. This is for you, Tommy, and for all the special kids just like you.”

May sinks onto the edge of Peter’s bed and listens.

She has a feeling she’s about to find out even more than she wanted to know about how her family spent their night.

 

000000000000000000000000

 

**  
The Pine Barrens**

 

  
The New Jersey Pine Barrens are the perfect place to dump a body. As the name implies, there’s pretty much nothing there but pine trees. What the name doesn’t imply is that there are four separate forests that make up the New Jersey Pinelands National Preserve, each sprawling and unpopulated, barely patrolled by federal rangers thanks to budget cuts and with thick growth and bodies of water. Finding John’s body with the meager amount of information that Magneto was able to wrest from Daniels would have been damned near impossible even if he’d been able to name the specific forest.

Thanks to JARVIS’ hacking of Daniels’ phone and an estimate of the time and date of John’s death, we’ve narrowed it down to the Bass River State Forest. Not that having that much information makes it any easier. The Bass River State Forest is over 23,000 acres in size and, as I’m discovering as we circle overhead, densely wooded. Give me a city to find a dead body in and chances are, I’ll find it, no matter how big a city. The fucking Pine Barrens are not my element.

“There,” Barnes says at last, pointing to our right. “We’re gonna start there.”

“Okay.”

“We’re dealing with fuckin’ amateurs,” he goes on. “So we start close to the highway. If any of those guys gave off even a whiff of pro, we’d start deeper in.”

“Okay.”

He cuts his eyes to me. “Disposing of bodies was somebody else’s job but sometimes they needed my muscle to help get the job done.”

“Okay,” I say again, setting us down but not without getting my hair tangled on some branches and landing at the wrong angle on a fucking rock, twisting my ankle so badly that we both end up on our asses in the grass.

Barnes props himself up on an elbow, making a show of looking me over. “Stop trying to be nice, Jones. It doesn’t suit you.”

I flip him off. “I can be nice, Barnes.”

“I’m grievin’ here and you just flipped me off!”

I flip him off with both hands.

Barnes gets to his feet, leans in and kisses my forehead before I’ve even realized he’s done it. “That’s it, Jones. Be yourself. That’s who I need right now.” With that, he starts walking. “You comin’ or are you afraid the Jersey Devil’s gonna get you?”

“Asshole,” I mutter, following him.

“I heard that.”

“I knew you would.”

He turns to me again. “I know, deep down, what happened to John isn’t my fault, can’t be my fault, but it feels kinda like it is. Like maybe if I’d stayed dead —“

“That’s bullshit, Barnes, and you know it.” I stumble over a root and grab onto his arm to keep from falling. “You want to blame someone? Blame his parents. You were just an excuse, if you even came up on his radar. He was going down this road for a long time. Some kids are just bad seeds.”

“Maybe I could’ve straightened him out —“

“You can’t save everyone, Barnes.”

“Kids listen to me.”

I roll my eyes at him. “Yeah, they all listened when they cut school and snuck off to toss the Ringer’s motel room.”

“They listen when I train ‘em.”

“When it’s convenient. Just like I listen to you when it’s convenient.”

“Only when it’s convenient?” he asks, giving me an innocent look.

“Actually,” I say, “no, because you’re an inconvenient pain in my ass, Barnes, and you don’t shut the fuck up.”

“Not without a shutdown code,” he agrees. The smirk Barnes flashes at me is brittle and fades completely as he stops and heaves a sigh that seems to suck the energy out of him. “We’re never gonna find him walking around like this, Jones.”

“By ourselves? Probably not,” I agree, not bothering to hide my relief that he figured that out before we spent hours wandering around. “We need dogs, a search party, that kind of shit. Murdock is making the arrangements.”

Barnes blinks at me. “Huh?”

“I sent him a text before we left while you were getting information from JARVIS about the Pine Barrens and I asked him to see what that Ringer asshole knew and if he didn’t know anything, to cut a deal for that W kid if he could help us find John’s body,” I tell him. “W is looking at life for the bombing so I bet he flips.”

Barnes stares at me. “Then why did you take me here?”

“Because you needed to come here, Barnes.” I look him steadily in the eyes. “You needed to know you did everything you could for the kid. You’re still going to blame yourself but maybe you’ll blame yourself less.”

He hugs me and I let him.

The way I figure it, the only one that’s here to see it is the Jersey Devil.

 

  
00000000000000

 

**Trish Talk Gets Real**

 

‘Trish Talk’ isn’t part of Peter’s routine. For starters, the show broadcasts from seven to nine in the morning, which is when Peter is on his way to or in school. Bucky started listening to the show after he met Trish and while he’s not a faithful listener, he’ll read books by authors that she’s interviewed if they catch his interest. Peter, well, he’s just not interested in talk radio, especially a show that’s mostly about stuff adults need to worry about, like refinancing mortgages.

Today’s show is _nothing_ like what Peter expected of Trish Talk.

Trish is ‘interviewing’ Senator Robert Kelly about his mutant registration bill.

Interviewing is putting it nicely.

“Senator, what is the Wideawake Fund?” Trish asks, breaking her line of questioning about the Mutant Registration bill.

The senator seems completely thrown by the question because he stammers, “I… what?”

“The Wideawake Fund,” Trish tells him. “is one of your biggest contributors. It’s contributed to nearly every PAC, which in turn contributes to you. It’s source of funds are a series of Cayman-based investment trusts.”

“I really don’t know anything about that,” Kelly tries.

“What about Project Wideawake, Senator?”

“I’ve never heard of it.”

“That’s understandable,” Trish says, “considering it was the name of a government project in 1973 that funded Bolivar Trask’s Sentinel Program. Surely you’re familiar with that program, Senator, because your mutant registration bill includes a clause that funds the relaunch of that program as a means of enforcement—“

“The bill is in _draft_ form, Ms. Walker —“

“You’ve also had meetings with executives from the Roxxon Corporation and Hammer Industries, which I imagine would be competing to develop the tech for that program. Not coincidentally, Roxxon and Hammer are also large contributors.”

There’s a long pause in which Kelly attempts to recover his dignity and control of the conversation. “I meet with a number of defense companies, Ms. Walker. I’m part of the Defense Committee.”

Trish leaps right on that statement. “Roxxon is one of the major investors in the Wideawake Fund, Senator. Did you know that?”

“I’m not familiar —“

“Were you aware that Roxxon is also rumored to have ties to HYDRA?”

“I-I…no comment.”

“The Senate Defense Committee investigated those ties after it was revealed that HYDRA had infiltrated SHIELD, Senator —“

“No comment.”

“I have the official transcripts from those hearings, Senator —“

“No comment.”

“You subpoenaed the CEO of Roxxon and he didn’t show yet you never held him in contempt. Why is that?”

“No comment.”

“Let’s see if we can get someone else’s point of view,” Trish says. “Hello, caller, you’re on the air with Senator Robert Kelly.”

“Hello, Senator,” comes the familiar baritone rumble of Magneto. “Tell me, does your plan for registration also include anyone with powers? Your connections to Henry Peter Gyrich certainly indicate —“

There’s a clatter, a click and then the sound of a dial tone.

“Oh dear,” Magneto says. “I believe the Senator has terminated the call, Ms. Walker.”

“That’s all right,” Trish practically purrs, “the FBI should be arriving at his office any minute now to ask him the same questions you were planning to ask, caller. Since I have you on the line, let’s talk about your own unique point of view. I’m sure most of my listeners know who you are and are especially interested in hearing it.”

“I would be delighted, Ms. Walker.”

Just as Peter settles in to listen, Aunt May nudges him and gets to her feet. “It’s a school day, Peter. You’ll have to listen to the podcast later and so will I. I have to go to work today.”

“But —“

“We can stream it on the way to school,” Tommy says. “And I’ll tell you what Trish is planning for tomorrow’s show. It’s gonna be so awesome.”

“But —“

“You’re not the only one with a cool after school job,” Tommy tells him.

“But I’ve probably been fired. Again.” Peter says to nobody because Tommy’s already sped off and taken over the bathroom and Aunt May is getting ready for work. “And we probably have detention for cutting class yesterday. And Bucky’s gonna ground us but good.”

He sighs.

This is his life.

 

  
0000000000000000

 

**The Family Barnes**

 

Barnes looks over at the great nephew, — his sister’s grandson — who’s refusing to acknowledge him as they stand in the Medical Examiner’s office while Richard signs for John’s body. Richard’s got Becca’s eyes but not much else. From what Barnes can tell, he looks like his father, Becca’s son, and he’s speaking in hushed, angry tones to Rikki, whose shoulders are slumping with each word.

“She has it coming for running away from home,” Jones whispers.

“Yeah,” Barnes agrees, “she’s got _that_ coming but he’s lettin’ her have it for dragging me into it. He doesn’t want her anywhere near me.” He turns to her and adds, “Or you.”

Jones rolls her eyes and then heads over to confront Richard Proctor before Barnes can stop her. Well, actually he can. He just doesn’t.

“Hey, asshole.”

Richard glares at her. “Excuse me?”

“Not excused. You owe Bill Dankowicz for the time he put in on finding John even though I ended up getting the job done. No charge for finding Rikki,” Jones snaps. “Or for keeping her safe.”

“Keeping her safe?!” Richard explodes. “You exposed her to —“

“Barnes? You should thank me for that,” Jones says sharply. “He’d die before he let anything happen to her or any of the super kids he watches out for. Or me, for that matter. And the least you could do is let Rikki say goodbye to him.”

Rikki shoots Richard a pleading look.

“Fine,” Richard says, “but then we have to go and no more Bucky Barnes nonsense after that, do you hear me, Rebecca?”

“Yes, dad,” Rikki sighs.

“The man is a killer and he’s dangerous,” Richard adds unnecessarily.

Jones flips him off, takes Rikki’s hand and steers her over towards Barnes. “I’ll let you two have your privacy.”

Barnes’ throat is tight as he looks down at this living reminder that he still has family out in the world. “Your dad is right, Rikki. It’s dangerous to be around me —“

“No, it’s not!”

“It is,” Barnes says, crouching down so they’re eye level. “I did a lot of bad things for HYDRA and whether you want to say it’s my fault or not, people blame me for ‘em. I’m a target and if you hang around me, you’re gonna be one, too.”

“I’m already a target,” Rikki says stubbornly. “Just like John was.”

“But I expect you to be smarter than John,” Barnes tells her. “To be careful who you get involved with and who you talk to —“

“I won’t tell anyone about Peter,” she promises. “Or where you live.”

“Thank you.” Barnes hands her the backpack he’s been gripping. “Peter wanted you to have this.”

Rikki peers inside and her mouth drops open. “This is his Bucky costume —“

“Yours now, Nomad, but you have to grow into it,” Barnes says, his mouth curving into a fond smile. “I’d tell you to give up the hero business but you’re a Barnes girl and I know better so I’m gonna tell you to be careful and to be smart. And if you need me — for anything — drop a line to Jones and we’ll come running.”

With a squeal, Rikki throws her arms around him and Barnes hugs her as tightly as he dares.

Despite what her father thinks, she’ll be back.

She’s a Barnes and he expects no less. Nobody stops a Barnes.

 

 

 

  
The end…for now.

 

 

 

 


End file.
